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Amethyst
Formula
SiO2
Birthstone for the month of February
For a list of all birthstones, click here
Mineral hardness (Mohs)
Particular hardness: 7
Amethyst can only be scratched by materials that are of equal or higher hardness. Aquamarine might scratch an amethyst for example. Due to its toughness an amethyst will not break easily.
Color
Amethyst is known for its typical purple color. Its color varies from an intense dark purple to a lighter violet. Furthermore the stone occurs in varying degrees of transparency. Some amethysts are see-through, while others are merely translucent, that is, light passes through them but gets scattered in the process.
Origin & History
Amethyst is most commonly found in: Bolivia, Brazil, India, Madagascar, Namibia, Russia, Sri Lanka, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The amethyst has been called the stone of temptation. Thus in past times people thought the stone would offer protection against temptation. Additionally the stone was said to protect against evil spirits and would inspire its owner to have new ideas.
Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote that amethyst makes one smarter and cleanses negative thoughts from the mind.
Care
The amethyst is a beautiful and strong stone. For this reason it is widely used in jewelry. When it comes to care for the stone there are no special precautions that the wearer should be aware of. However, one should of course still be careful not to hit the stone against hard surfaces.
Another thing the owner of an amethyst might keep in mind is its tendency to lose color when overexposed to sunlight. Due to exposure to sunlight the stone may lose its intensity or even entirely lose its color. This discoloration will not be instant but can occur after very long-term exposure to strong sunlight.
Imitation stones
Imitation amethysts may be manufactured from purple glass or synthetic amethyst. Imitations are not used that often since amethyst is widely available.
Cut
Amethyst may appear in any number of cuts. When it comes to amethyst there is not one specific preferred cut. The appropriate cut is decided on after assessing the color and quality of the stone.
Jewelry with Amethyst can be found here: