Amethyst Gemstone | Amethyst Stone - GIA

◂ BACK TO GEM ENCYCLOPEDIA

Amethyst

The essence of the color purple, amethyst is beautiful enough for crown jewels yet affordable enough for class rings.

Amethyst

See Gem As

Tools

Research

53.37-Carat Amethyst. Amethyst is a popular gemstone for artistic designer cuts, even in large sizes like this 53.37-carat example. - Lydia Dyer, Amethyst Dreamscape gem courtesy of John Dyer & Co. — Amethyst is a popular gemstone for artistic designer cuts, even in large sizes like this 53.37-carat example. - Lydia Dyer, Amethyst Dreamscape gem courtesy of John Dyer & Co.

22.65-Carat Amethyst. It’s not uncommon to see fashioned amethyst in large sizes like this 22.65-carat stone. - Courtesy Anil Gupta, Kris Gem International, Inc. — It’s not uncommon to see fashioned amethyst in large sizes like this 22.65-carat stone. - Courtesy Anil Gupta, Kris Gem International, Inc.

Amethyst. Most faceted amethyst on the market has no eye-visible inclusions. - Courtesy Ramiro Rivero & Metals del Oriente S.R.L — Most faceted amethyst on the market has no eye-visible inclusions. - Courtesy Ramiro Rivero & Metals del Oriente S.R.L

Amethyst. Amethyst is produced in a variety of popular cuts for jewelry. - Courtesy John Miatech — Amethyst is produced in a variety of popular cuts for jewelry. - Courtesy John Miatech

Amethyst. Color zoning is most visible when an amethyst is viewed face-down through its pavilion on a white background. It's not as visible face-up. — Color zoning is most visible when an amethyst is viewed face-down through its pavilion on a white background. It's not as visible face-up.

Amethyst. These two well-cut amethysts demonstrate the gem’s possible light-to-dark color range. - Courtesy Pala International — These two well-cut amethysts demonstrate the gem’s possible light-to-dark color range. - Courtesy Pala International

17.53-Carat Amethyst. This 17.53-carat amethyst displays a rich reddish purple color. - Lydia Dyer, Super Trillion Cut Amethyst gem courtesy of John Dyer & Co. — This 17.53-carat amethyst displays a rich reddish purple color. - Lydia Dyer, Super Trillion Cut Amethyst gem courtesy of John Dyer & Co.

Amethyst. Amethyst’s color quality ranges from extremely pale to intense or very dark. - ©GIA and Tino Hammid — Amethyst’s color quality ranges from extremely pale to intense or very dark. - ©GIA and Tino Hammid

Amethyst. This ancient necklace dates to 2000BCE. An inscription on the center stone is a South Arabian script from the 8th century BCE. - From "Gems and Gemstones: Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World" by Lance Grande and Allison Augustyn, 2009, University of Chicago Press. — This ancient necklace dates to 2000BCE. An inscription on the center stone is a South Arabian script from the 8th century BCE. - From "Gems and Gemstones: Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World" by Lance Grande and Allison Augustyn, 2009, University of Chicago Press.

Amethyst with Visible Color Zones. Amethyst commonly shows zones of darker and lighter colors. Photo by Mike Havstad/GIA. — Amethyst commonly shows zones of darker and lighter colors. Photo by Mike Havstad/GIA.

Amethyst Crystal. This amethyst crystal is from Namibia. It shows classic quartz crystal shape: a six-sided columnar crystal with a pyramid-shaped termination at the top. Courtesy Daniel Trinchillo, Fine Minerals International. — This amethyst crystal is from Namibia. It shows classic quartz crystal shape: a six-sided columnar crystal with a pyramid-shaped termination at the top. Courtesy Daniel Trinchillo, Fine Minerals International.

Amethyst. With proper care, amethyst is a beautiful and versatile gemstone for jewelry use. - Courtesy Epstein — With proper care, amethyst is a beautiful and versatile gemstone for jewelry use. - Courtesy Epstein

PreviousPage 4 of 5Next

This Month's

Featured Gems

reading

PERIDOT

Found in lava, meteorites, and deep in the earth’s mantle, yellow-green peridot is the extreme gem.

reading

FANCY COLOR DIAMOND

Dazzling brilliance. Captivating color. These are the planet’s most valued gems.

reading

DIAMOND

Diamonds are among nature’s most precious and beautiful creations.

reading

EMERALD

Emerald is the bluish green to green variety of beryl, a mineral species that includes aquamarine.

reading

CITRINE

Citrine is the transparent, pale yellow to brownish orange variety of quartz.

View The Gem Encyclopedia

You Might Also Like

YMAL AJP

AJP®: New 5-Day Program Offered Worldwide

Learn About NextGem

GIA NextGem™ Diamond Training for Retail

Explore GIA Laboratory Promotional Offers

Explore GIA Laboratory Promotional Offers

Shop the GIA Store

Shop the GIA Store