Buying by catalogue> Amethyst Stone - February Birthstone

amethystAmethyst Stone is the birthstone for the month of February and considered as favorite among the ancient civilization of Egyptian and Greeks as the stone is believe to contain special power on them. The ancients also believe that the stone can ward off drunkeness as such made drinking glass made of the stone and others wear it on their person as they believe it can ward off evil spirits and can cure other ailments 

Amethyst Stone Color

The amethyst stone has a hardness of 7 and many gemologist claimed that the stone has unconventional structure resulting to varying degrees of color. it is not unusual for one to find several different shades and even color of amethyst as the stone can lose its color when exposed to sunlight and can darken its color when expose to heat. Some amethyst stones are light, yellowish or brownish red  aside from the typical purplish color. Stones color also depends on the place or mine where it was excavated. 

Amethyst Price

Once deemed as one of the most valuable stone in the world, the amethyst stone was not only coveted by royalties, nobles but also of the common folk. One of the most expensive jewellery made of amethyst is Queen Charlotte's amethyst bracelet which is said to have cost 2000 pounds at the time. The priices of the stone however depreciate when miners and explorers where able to discover the South American mine which carries thousands of amethyst deposits. 

Synthetic Amethyst Stones

Synthetic amethyst stones are formed with the same molecules as that of natural amethyst stone as such the prices for the natural stone drops. As these stones are made of the same material as the natural stone, many expertse had a hard time distinguishing the stones without using high tech equipments. Although there are some ways to distinguish the synthetic stones with the natural ones by the stone's clarity and size. Most synthetic stones are large and have perfect clarity, which natural stones don't have. Another is the color of the stones as natural amethyst are usually purple or reddish with some having yellowish hue.