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AMETHYST |
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                _Amethyst _1.139 ct. Marquise Cut __Buy Now!   _Amethyst _7.82 ct. Rectangular Cut _Buy Now!   _Amethyst _7.86ct. Pear Cut _Buy Now!   _Amethyst _21.50 ct. Emerald Cut _Buy Now!   _Amethyst _5.50 ct. Oval Cut _Buy Now! |
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Amethyst is one of the most popular gems, and has been considered since antiquity as a valuable gemstone. Its name derives from the Greek "amethystos", which meant "not drunken", as Amethyst in antiquity was thought to ward off drunkenness. In ancient times, Amethyst was highly regarded among the precious gemstones like Ruby and Emerald, but findings of vast Amethyst reserves in the last 200 years have made Amethyst fairly inexpensive and obtainable. Amethyst colors range from light to dark purple, and the transparent deep purple colors are the most highly regarded. 
Amethyst is the purple variety of the mineral Quartz, and is its most famous and valuable gem variety. Quartz also contains other gemstones such as Citrine, Rose Quartz, and Smoky Quartz. Amethyst is often heat-treated to deepen the color, or to transform it into Citrine. Some varieties may also change to a light green color, which is also used as a gemstone and given the trade name Prasiolite, or "Green Amethyst". Amethyst, although always purple, comes from many different mining sources of which many produce a unique color or style. For example, Uruguay Amethyst has a distinct color and style, as does Amethyst from Arizona. Amethyst from the ancient sources in Russia, colloquially known as "Siberian Amethyst" is deeply colored Amethyst from deposits that have long since been exhausted and therefore command a higher price. Some dealers may sell deeply colored Amethyst from other locations as "Siberian Amethyst" to command a higher price. African Amethyst is generally more deeply colored than South American Amethyst, and the name "African Amethyst" may also be used to describe a deeper color stone even if it didn't originate in Africa. The color distribution of Amethyst is sometimes uneven, and this is often taken to account when cutting a stone. Some Amethyst from certain locations will slightly fade in color upon prolonged exposure to light, and one should always question a dealer about this before purchasing an Amethyst gem. Care should also be taken with Amethyst as it is known to form curve shaped fractures if banged too hard. Amethyst can come in huge flawless crystals, and gems of all sizes have been cut. Although Amethyst sources are abundant, synthetic gems are also produced using the hydrothermal method. A natural mixture of purple Amethyst and golden Citrine has been coined with name "Ametrine". (See the Ametrine gemstone page for more details.) USES VARIETIES AMETHYST SOURCES SIMILAR GEMSTONES
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Brazilian Amethyst - Amethyst from Brazil, but may also refer to any South American Amethyst.