Amethyst Gemstone Buying Guide - Moriartys Gem Art
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  • Amethyst Gemstone Buying Guide

    Amethyst Gemstone

    How Much is Amethyst Worth? What Determines its Value? Can it Be Expensive? Why?

    The value of amethyst, like most gemstones, is determined by the quality (Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight), sometimes by the locality.  The bigger finer amethyst can have a high value, typically amethyst is a less expensive gemstone, this partly due to how much is available worldwide.
     

    What Colors is Amethyst Available?

    From very light almost pinkish purple (Rose de France) to deep rich bluish purple; heat treatment can be done to lighten color or change it to citrine.

    How Do You Clean Amethyst?

    Ultrasonic is usually safe, warm soapy water with a soft toothbrush (NEVER steam clean).

      Where is Amethyst Found?

      Amethyst is found all over the world, notable countries: Brazil, Uruguay, Nambia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Mexico, and USA.

      How is Amethyst Formed?

      Amethyst is formed in the hexagonal crystal system, they are found in inside hollow cavities (vughs), usually in masses or clusters of amethyst crystals.
       

      What Gives Amethyst it's Purplish Color?

      Iron is what gives Amethyst its purplish color.
       

      How Can You Tell if Amethyst is Real?

      That can be very difficult, synthetic amethyst (quartz) has been on the market for almost a century.  There are some gemological tests that can be performed to determine synthetic versus natural.
       

      Is Amethyst Considered a Mineral?

      Amethyst is a variety of the gem mineral quartz that can be found from specimen grade to cut grade pieces, from tiny crystals to giant specimens.
       

      Is Garnet considered a precious gem?

      The term precious and semi-precious use to be value based and has become outdated and demeaning to many high value gems once categorized as semi-precious. A 5 carat tsavorite garnet could cost $50000,  pretty precious to most of us. 
       

      How Old is Amethyst? When Was it Discovered?

      Amethyst has been known since before Greek times, the name is derived from the Greek word amethustos.  Amethyst was one of the stones that represented one of the tribes of Aaron in the Bible.
       

      How Rare is Amethyst?

      Not very rare, it is plentiful, but with all gemstones, the better the color the more rare it is.

      What is the Amethyst Birth Month?

      February is the birth month for Amethyst. Amethyst is for the 4th, 6th and 9th anniversary.
       

      What is Russian Amethyst?

      Fine quality amethysts were found along the western border of the Ural Mountains, to our knowledge they have not commercially mined this area for a long time.  Russians also produce hydro-thermal synthetic amethyst.
       

      Is Amethyst Considered Precious or Semi-Precious?

      Traditionally it has been known as a semi-precious gemstone.  The FTC and AGTA have tried to get away from the terms "precious" and semi-precious"  The terms were used to separate diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies from everything else, but rare "semi-precious" stones like alexandrite and Tsavorite garnet can be as expensive or more expensive than their precious counterparts.

        What is the Difference Between Amethyst & Tanzanite?

        Amethyst is a variety of the mineral quartz group and Tanzanite is a variety of the epidote group.  Amethyst has a hexagonal crystal system and Tanzanite has a orthorhombic crystal system.  Aside from being a different chemical makeup and crystal structure make up, Tanzanite is only found in one location in the world, whereas amethyst is found world wide.  Tanzanite is strongly pleochroic and many exhibit a color shift or color change depending on the lighting source, we have seen this in fine quality Rwandan and Uruguayan amethyst.