Amethysts Gem Stones Part Two
This is part two of a three part series on Amethysts Gem Stones
Amethysts that are very inexpensive are quite probably not real stones. Here is a technical analysis of amethysts which you can skip if you want to:
Technical Analysis
CHEMISTRY SiO2
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY Hexagonal
REFRACTIVE INDEX 1.544 - 1.553
HARDNESS 7
SPECIFIC GRAVITY 2.651
CLEAVAGE None
HEAT SENSITIVE No
WEARABILITY* Very Good
SPECIAL CARE INSTRUCTIONS None
ENHANCEMENTS Amethyst can be heat treated to improve the color or change it to citrine. Although this is not very common.
Value of Amethysts
The value per carat in amethyst, unlike diamonds and gems, does not rise exponentially with weight as it is more readily available in large sizes than other gems. But the value of amethysts does depend very much on the color quality of the amethyst. For example., the “Siberian” deep purple with red and blue flash commands the much higher price than the lighter amethysts.
But recently the very light amethyst, once considered low grade, has gained a recent boost in popularity by intensive marketing on TV shopping programs and the clever marketing strategy of calling it “Rose de France”.
The yellow, or golden, form of an amethyst is called a citrine. Sometimes the color of an amethyst forms in combination with the color of a citrine, and the resulting stone is called an ametrine.
Hardness of Amethysts
Amethysts are at 7 on the Mohs hardness scale where diamond is a 10 and talc a 1. There are various grades of amethyst however and the lower quality ones tend to be made into beads and ornamental objects. The better quality are used in jewelry of course.
Amethysts range in color from a pale lilac to a deep reddish purple. Siberian mines once produced the world’s finest stones with particularly rich purple color that glowed with reddish and/or bluish highlights. Today the term Siberian no longer is a place designation as the mines are long since worked out, but instead is used a “grade” term, implying colors similar to the original stones from Siberia.
Price of Amethysts
Price wise, amethyst is not expensive compared to other gemstones but one still needs to take care and practice due diligence when buying amethysts.
This will be covered in part three of this series on amethysts gem stones.