Amethyst is a common Gem with an uncommonly long heritage. It has been used since the very beginning of recorded time; as amulets, jewellery and unusual tableware. There are Amethyst goblets and bowls with carvings of great intricacy from the times of the Romans in many museums and they are still being produced today. However, these works of art are not priced for the faint hearted. Ancient myths told of using an Amethyst goblet as a ward against becoming drunk. A gem worked as well, if it was placed in one’s wine goblet prior to drinking.

Amethyst is always a surprise for the miners, as it is found in seams and inside hollow formations of rock called “vugs”. They range from tiny eggs with micro crystals to caverns filled with stalactites the height of a room. Some of the crystals found inside the tubes are truly enormous. These larger stones often exhibit amazing clarity and saturation of a deep purplish colour with undertones of blue. Many of us have seen exhibits at the museum or gem stores where a sample of crystals is displayed uncut and still embedded in the natural bedrock. We were fortunate enough to obtain some pieces of magnificent colour and size from Uruguay decades ago. They were quickly purchased by a client at an exceptional price within days of being put on display.

Amethyst is a tough, relatively inexpensive crystalline variety of Quartz. It derives the colour from natural irradiation and trace metallic elements. Amethyst is stable in normal situations but excessive heat can cause the colour to change or to disappear altogether. If Amethyst is heated in the absence of Oxygen it can change into Citrine. If the process is halted during the change, an even more rare form appears, a bi-coloured crystal called Ametrine.

We have Amethyst in stock from large free form Gems to minute accent stones, all in a myriad of hues and colours. Please, feel free to come in and take a look at some stones and maybe we can create a piece for you.