Amethyst

What is Amethyst?

Amethyst is a purple gemstone used in jewellery and also as crystals.  It is a variety of quartz, a mineral that is found often in nature.  Other popular gemstones like Citrine, Chalcedony, Smokey and Pink Quartz are also types of the mineral Quartz.

Quartz measures a 7 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.  This means they are suitable to wear as jewellery. However, if a Quartz of any kind is worn in a ring that is worn continuously, over time it will scratch and wear down.

Amethyst colour

The Exact colour of Amethyst can range from light violet to an intense dark purple colour.  The colour can depend on how the gemstone formed as well as the chemical inclusions that are present

Amethyst has been the birthstone for February since 1912.

Where is Amethyst found?

Brazil is probably the best-known source of Amethyst in the world.  The geologic conditions in Brazil have created areas where large Amethyst geodes are found as well as groups of crystals.  Zambia, in southern Africa, is another place where a lot of Amethyst comes from.  Over 1000 tons of crystals are produced by the country every year.

Namibia, Nigeria, Uruguay, North America, India and Sri Lanka are also important sources of Amethyst.

What are the ethical issues with Amethyst?

As with all gemstones, the ethical and environmental issues can begin at the source, the mine, which is why transparency and traceability are so vital.

Amethyst is a variety of Quartz and Quartz crystals can be found in a variety of locations.  Sometimes these crystals are very close to the surface and are easily extracted, though they can also be deeper underground. 

If they are deeper underground, there are health and safety issues associated with mining.  In the worst cases, children can be sent to work in mines in very dangerous conditions and larger mines need a lot of energy and water to maintain operations.

How Amethyst is traded

An Amethyst will go through many different pairs of hands on its way from the mine to the final customer.  In many cases, stones will be bought and sold by several different dealers before they even reach the cutting centers in countries like India and Thailand.

How to buy an ethically mined Amethyst

When you buy an Amethyst, either in jewellery or as a crystal, there is no way that you can tell how it was mined, so, you have to rely on the seller and the information that they give you.

The first question you can ask is where the stone was mined.  If they can’t answer this basic question then there's no way they can know under what conditions it was mined.

The Amethysts photographed for this article were supplied by ethical gemstone supplier, Nineteen48.