For those who have a keen interest in the concept of birthstones, amethyst crystals will be the centre of attention this month. As February’s birthstone, it is fair to say any people will have some of the familiar purple crystals at home.
Not everyone knows where amethysts come from, but, perhaps more interestingly, many are unaware that the purple colour for which the stone is so famous is not the only hue in which this mineral can be found.
Amethyst is a form of quartz, but is rich in iron, which is believed to be responsible for its purple colour. It has been used by humans for thousands of years of recorded history and its historic mentions include the book of Exodus in the Bible.
The name itself derives from the Greek amethystos, which means “not intoxicated”, as it was believed to protect its owner from getting drunk.
However, it is not in Europe or Asia but the Americas – places such as Brazil, Uruguay, the Carolinas in the US and the Canadian province of Ontario – where it is found in greatest quantities. Major Asian sources today include Sri Lanka, one of the continent’s most renowned sources of gems.
While the purple colour of amethyst may be its most famous attribute, it could come as a surprise that it is not always this shade. This can be achieved artificially by heating, which turns it yellow (the process by which commercial citrine is made), but there is also such a thing as green amethyst.
Technically, this is not a true amethyst. Both gems are a form of quartz and it is the different chemical contents that provide their colour. Instead of iron to make it purple, green amethyst, also known as vermarine or prasiolite, owes its colour to heat treatment.
Of course, if green is your favourite colour, you may still consider it an alternative. But for others, there may be nothing more authentic than a true amethyst in its deepest purple.
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