Amethyst
Quartz & Crystal Family
Amethyst is the violet-to-purple variety of quartz. Iron-related color centers give it its color, which is often zoned within a crystal.
Identity
- Material or variety
- Quartz
- Scientific or material identity
- Quartz
- Classification
- Natural mineral or mineral variety
- Composition or formula
- SiO₂
- Crystal system or structure
- Trigonal
- Geological or manufacturing origin
- Can form in more than one geological environment, or combines several materials.
- Mohs hardness
- 7
- Specific gravity
- 2.65
Origins
Bolivia · Brazil · Cambodia · Canada · India · Kenya · Madagascar · Mexico · Myanmar · Namibia · Nigeria · Peru · Russia · South Korea · Sri Lanka · Uruguay · USA
Appearance & optical properties
purple quartz with violet-to-clear color zoning.
History & discovery
The name comes from the Greek amethystos, meaning “not intoxicated,” after an ancient belief about the stone. Amethyst ornaments survive from around 2000 BCE, and large Brazilian deposits discovered in the 1800s made the gem more widely available.
Uses & care
- Common uses
- Amethyst is cut for jewelry, carved into ornaments and beads, and collected as crystals and geodes.
- Handling and cleaning
- Clean it with warm soapy water. Avoid steam, sudden temperature changes, strong heat, and prolonged intense light, which can damage the stone or fade some color.
Jewellery
7 pieces of Amethyst jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.
St Edward's Crown
Crown
The gold coronation crown made for Charles II in 1661 and still placed on the monarch's head at British coronations. It is set with 444 stones, among them amethysts, garnets and peridots.
Sovereign's Orb
Jewel
A hollow gold orb in the British coronation regalia, banded with gems and pearls. A single amethyst crowns its top beneath a small jewelled cross.
Photo: United Kingdom Government, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 
Violet Dusk Tiara
Tiara
An imagined evening tiara of silver scrolls, each tip holding a deep violet amethyst the colour of the sky just after sunset.
Crown of Scotland
Crown
Remade in 1540 for King James V, it is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles. Its cross on top is set with a large amethyst surrounded by pearls and black enamel.
Crown of Norway
Crown
Made in Stockholm in 1818 for the coronation of King Charles III John, the closed gold crown is decorated with amethysts, chrysoprases and pearls. Its blue-enamelled monde carries a cross set with amethysts.
Norwegian Crown Prince's Coronet
Crown
Made in Norway in 1846 for Crown Prince Carl, it is the only piece of Norway's coronation regalia made entirely in Norway. The open gold coronet is set with amethysts, citrines, peridots and Norwegian freshwater pearls.
Photo: Johannes Flintoe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 
Crown of Queen Maria of Romania
Crown
Made of Transylvanian gold for the 1922 coronation of Queen Marie of Romania, it was modelled on a medieval Wallachian design. It is set with rubies, emeralds, amethysts, turquoise and opals.
Photo: Jtorquy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
