Gemstones: Amethysts

Amethysts are a purple type of quartz and regarded as the most valuable member of the quartz family of precious stones.  The color must be purple though it can vary in hue and shade from mauve, lavender, light lilac, to a deep purple.  The finest quality amethysts are a medium deep purple with flashes of rose color.

 Amethyst necklace - By Deomar Pandan, 

KamayoJewelry.com

 CC BY-SA 4.0

The color of amethysts

Amethysts can be found in geodes and in areas of alluvial deposits.   Amethysts are formed in clear quartz where manganese is present.  The depth of purple color results from how much iron is present.   The Mohs scale of hardness scales the hardness of precious stone and amethyst is classed as 7 on this scale.  Read more