February

Amethyst is crystalline quartz in colors ranging from pale lilac to deep reddish purple. It has a relatively high hardness of 7, which means it’s very scratch resistant. The February birthstone makes a fine gem for any kind of jewelry.

As the color purple has long been connected with royalty, amethysts were favored by the ruling class. Over time, amethysts have also come to be associated with spirituality, mental clarity, and healing.

Specifically a purple variety of quartz whose saturation may range from pale to vibrant. Generally speaking, vivid stones are more highly sought-after and valuable than paler ones.

Transparent, eye-clean amethysts suitable for faceting occur abundantly, and gem cutters can facet them with almost any design suitable to their size and color. For example, Barion cuts work well for large, lightly colored stones, while shallow designs and fantasy cuts work well for darker gems. Skilled faceters can also experiment with custom designs.

Value for amethysts depends almost entirely on color. Siberian mines once produced the world’s finest stones. They featured a particularly rich purple color that glowed with red and blue flashes. Today the term “Siberian” no longer refers to origins. Instead, this is now a trade and grade term referring to colors similar to those of the amethysts mined in Siberia.

Natural amethyst receives its color from the presence of iron and other trace elements as well as natural irradiation. Amethysts may show color zoning, both uneven (unintentional) color distribution as well as color bands (intentional).