Some amethyst turns yellow – to citrine – with heat treatment. It can also remove unwanted brownish inclusions in some amethysts. Heat treatment can’t make pale amethyst darker, but it can lighten the color of very dark amethyst and make it more attractive.
Heat treatment is the most common technique for improving the color and marketability of natural amethyst. Because this February birthstone is more susceptible to damage than harder gems such as rubies, sapphires and diamonds, you risk scratching your amethyst jewelry if you place it next to these harder stones. This means that it is appropriate for daily use in rings and other jewelry, but over time it may show wear and require repolishing. The Anahí mine is also famous in gem circles as the source of the unusual bicolored amethyst-citrine crystals called ametrine.Īmethyst is a 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness. It was discovered by a Spanish conquistador in the 1600s, given to him as dowry when he married Anahí (a princess from the Ayoreo tribe), forgotten for three centuries, and rediscovered in the 1960s. Hidden in the Pantanal wetlands, the Anahí mine is shrouded in fascinating lore. The Anahí mine in Bolivia is another prominent source for amethyst. Amethyst from Brazil sometimes forms in hollow, crystal-lined geodes so large you can stand in them. Today, the most important sources of amethyst are in Africa and South America. Brazil is still a major supplier, especially its southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, though the rough amethyst mined there tends to have a lighter color than amethyst found in other countries. Once as rare as ruby or emerald, amethyst was suddenly in abundance. Russia was the major source of amethyst until the 19th century, when large deposits were found in Brazil.
The famous jewelry connoisseur Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (1896–1986), made a memorable statement when she wore a lavish Cartier-designed amethyst bib necklace to a gala in Versailles in 1953. Wear it in celebration of your wedding nuptials or as your February birthstone and you’ll be in royal company: Catherine the Great (Empress Catherine II of Russia, 1729–1796) had a penchant for the gem and decked herself in amethyst necklaces, earrings and other ornaments. Renaissance Europeans thought it calmed lovers overrun by passion.Īmethyst is the gem traditionally given for the sixth wedding anniversary. Because of its wine-like color, early Greek mythology associated the gem with Bacchus, the god of wine. Amethyst was also believed to keep the wearer clear headed and quick witted in battle and business affairs. The name “ amethyst” derives from the Greek amethystos, which means “a remedy against drunkenness,” a benefit long ascribed to the purple birthstone. Comprehensive CAD/CAM For Jewelry Certificate
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