Amethyst

Amethyst belongs to the quartz gem family and is one of the most popular quartzes. This gemstone comes in a variety of shades of purple. Some shades include light lavender and other shades of amethyst such as the ones from Russia develop a reddish color in artificial light while the Siberian amethyst displays highlights of magenta when faceted. The term 'Siberian' is used to refer to any rich purple material from any location. Darker purple colors tend to be more expensive then the paler lavender colors.

This stone also has a couple of inclusions such as parallel liquid-filled canals. It is also slightly dichroic which means that it displays either reddish or bluish tones depending on what angle the stone is viewed.

Some of the best amethyst gemstones come from Russia. This stone can also be found in Namibia and Zambia.

Specifications

Hardness: 7 Mohs

Specific Gravity: 2.65

Refractive Index: 1.544-1.553

Crystal Form: Single crystals in a trigonal system. The crystal habit is hexagonal rods with hexagonal pyramidal ends.