January 24 Through February 4—TUCSON, ARIZONA: Annual show
Welcome to the GemologyOnline.com Forum
A non-profit Forum for the exchange of gemological ideas
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 12:33 pm

All times are UTC - 4 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 85 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next
Author Message
 Post subject: Pros and cons of amethyst?
PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:30 pm 
Offline
Active Member

Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:11 pm
Posts: 96
Hi everyone. I have been looking for a really nice purple stone and some of the amethysts I have seen are beautiful. However, I hear a lot of negative things about this stone because it is in abundance. But, even though it is common I still think that the color is nice. So, I know to look for non-treated material that is clean. Is there something really undesirable about this stone that I don't know, for example hardness?
Thanks,
-Steph


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:38 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm
Posts: 21602
Location: San Francisco
Hi Steph
Amethyst is durable and holds up nobly in jewelry.
Sadly, much of the amethyst available for sale in today's market is synthetically produced.
One must look for Brazil twinning or inclusions that prove it natural.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:19 pm 
Offline
Gemology Online Veteran
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:38 pm
Posts: 894
Location: N.J.
High quality Amethyst is not all that common. No negatives that I know of.

_________________
Nick


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:23 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm
Posts: 21602
Location: San Francisco
Nicky is right.

Did you know that before extensive deposits of amethyst were found in Brazil it was extremely rare and desireable, and commanded precious prices.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:40 pm 
Offline
Platinum Member
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2006 5:10 pm
Posts: 2117
Location: Maryland
Purple scapolite is another pretty purple stone, not too common and it has a bit more sparkle than amethyst. Very similar color.
Here's a few pictures

Image
Image

_________________
Precison Gem
www.precisiongem.com


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:26 am 
Offline
Gemology Online Übergod
User avatar

Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 2:39 pm
Posts: 3528
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Purple spinel can be another good bet. As long as it's not synthetic, there are no treatments, so you are getting a true natural stone.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:59 am 
Offline
Valued Contributor
User avatar

Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 1:21 am
Posts: 187
I was going to say purple spinel, can be hard to find a really good color though. Purple Sapphire will hold its value better than most purple gems IMO, and it is about as durable as it gets.
Image
This sold for $309, pretty good price.

Image
This one (sold) probably went very high.

Also some color change sapphires have a purple color. So do a lot of alexandrite but we are getting up there in price, especially for anywhere near the size of the average amethyst.

_________________
Maine Tourmaline! Second to none.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:57 am 
Offline
Platinum Member

Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 12:47 pm
Posts: 2505
Location: Eastern Europe
No negatives. Many have never seen top quality Amethyst, 'common' as is.

Amethyst defines purple in gems in the same way ruby defines red and emerald defines green: i.e. everyone considers the particular gem as the best sample of the particular color, and for good reason. If sapphire, spinel or tourmaline do get some shades of purple, the color of the best of each breed would be called 'amethyst purple' :o So you might as well go for the color and get a fine amethyst first and try to match it with something pricier per carat later, if you are so inclined.

For fun, some purple wannabees online: a sapphire pair, one small unheated, one large purple sapphireand a large purple star... a larger, lighter spineland a pair, and one purple tourmaline. Perhaps there are better examples of purple spinel, and you could also find Tanzanite with a nice, intense purple. If I think twice, perhaps Tanzanite would be the only contender for the sheer depth and intensity of purple I'd be considering if for some reason Amethyst wasn't 'good enough' - 'too common' or something. It helps that those stones also come in rather large size. Purple is not the preferred color for tanzanite (blue is, of course) and it is not often without a strong blue tinge. Right now, I do not know where to find an example :? Maybe THIS?

Also, if anyone is telling you amethyst is not good enough, you can always mention something like THIS. :twisted:

Hope this helps :)


Last edited by valeria102 on Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:41 am 
Offline
Gemology Online Übergod
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 3:24 am
Posts: 4997
Location: McDonough GA
Pala had a couple of Siberian colored Mozambique Tourmalines. I can't find them now so I wonder if they were bought. At any rate, hereis a fine Amethyst purple one.

Jason

_________________
http://www.selectgem.com


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:20 am 
Offline
Platinum Member

Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 12:47 pm
Posts: 2505
Location: Eastern Europe
Forgot about this:

Image
Image
Image

9 carat purple sapphire rough from Lembeck Gems.

And there is a color change round with a persuasive violet instance where that one comes from.

Do you like cabs? I do. Desperately! Here's a large one in untreated purple sapphire:
Image


However, all these face the competition of the original purple gem8). Love the cut of that one!

If you wonder why all the posting about amethyst... well, it is the color, and then, I needed a good pretext to post THIS: 8)

Image


Last edited by valeria102 on Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Amethyst Georgia
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:19 am 
Offline
Active Member
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:36 pm
Posts: 82
Location: San Francisco/Holland
When going for a fairly common stone such as Amethyst, try to go for something "unique" which differentiates itself from the mass. Quality, a good story etc etc... depending on your budget.

Unique 1) It could be a uniquely cut stone, by a well known gem cutter (to name a few: Arthur Anderson (back in business), Larry Woods, Larry Winn, Sherris Shank (carvings), a new upcoming talent such as Chu-Alice Chan (Intaglios) etc etc). There are so many, especially in the USA and in Idar Oberstein (Germany). So what you do is combine a common stone (relative low materials cost) with art and skills. Go for the best your money can get you. It's collectable, it will retain its value.

For a few examples, here are some Amethysts (Disclosure: it's our own site, but we do not sell.. so just contact the artist directly should you be interested).

Unique 2) Or.. you can go for the best possible Amethyst. THAT will always be in demand, retain its value, either for use in jewelry or because of collectors.

It so happens that one of the world's best quality amethysts (no exaggeration) was discovered in 2005 in what's called Jackson Cross Roads Georgia (a few hours away from Atlanta). After the finds in early 2005, much more was mined in October 2006 and this year, of which some material has now been cut.

Not only is it a cool story (there are several articles published in Rock and Mineral and I think Gems&Gemology and Mineralogical Record) but... some of the Amethyst -- just like the Ural Amethyst, show both red and blue flashes when you move the stone, depending how the material is cut. Really nice.. Furthermore the color is really deep and clear. The only other material that has these properties (in significant quantities) were from the old, now long defunct mines in the Ural Mountains, Russia.

This may be a nice compromise between paying a decent price, and still obtaining a unique gem. Since we're dealing with a recent find, the guys who mine the material, now bought the whole claim. They have had fluctuating results. Still, the material is quite abundant right now and therefore now is the time to get it since prices are still quite reasonable.
If I am not mistaken, you can get cut stones for 20-40 $ per carat for the good material. (Not ALL Amethyst show the red and/or blue flashes).

You do not know when the source dries up, and when it does, my feeling is that the good material will spike.. (bold statement perhaps but pretty obvious: top quality, high aesthetics and top locality.. all desirable elements.. and very different from the tons of garbage found elsewhere). Most high end collectors I know and quite a few museums have already bought a piece (or cut stone).

Compare it with two famous, and desirable minerals (aesthetics, quality (best in the world) and US location: same parameters as this Amethyst) which prices skyrocketed (5 x at times or more, in 2 years) after the mines were closed: Rhodochrosite of the Sweet Home Mine, and Wulfenite of the Red Cloud Mine.


Hope this helps.

Patrick


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:02 pm 
Offline
Gemology Online Übergod
User avatar

Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 2:39 pm
Posts: 3528
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
:smt089 :smt089 :smt089 :smt089 :smt089 :smt089 :smt089 :smt089 :smt089

I wish I could afford all those stones. :(


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:09 pm 
Offline
Platinum Member

Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 12:47 pm
Posts: 2505
Location: Eastern Europe
Err... crossover from anther thread:'Fresh Off the Dop'! :shock:

And if one still wants sapphire for some reason, a small pinkish purple w/o treatment might just do. The color seems out of the classic Amethyst range, but...

Image

And there is a straight purple brother of nearly the same size HERE. Next to purple Tanzanite (that does no pretend to be blue! :twisted: ).


Certainly, these things need to be seen. And none detract from amethyst - just wanted to lay out a search agenda for all things gem and purple. 8) (ok, nearly: scapolite, iolite and pearls were left out ... because.... not sure why! :? ) And purple diamondsare beyond the point, I would imagine.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:29 pm 
Offline
Gold Member

Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 7:06 pm
Posts: 1010
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Colorade Gems have many fine Amethyst, from all over the world.

http://www.coloradogem.com/index.php?di ... _Gemstones

_________________
I'm a RED man!


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:57 pm 
Offline
Platinum Member

Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 12:47 pm
Posts: 2505
Location: Eastern Europe
Good one!

Now, is there any 'negative' at all anywhere on this thread :?:

Can't see any even with all options considered. Thre ight be moe amthys around then other fine color, but this just makes it's more fabulous uses:shock: good proof of how rare other options really are!


Last edited by valeria102 on Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 85 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next

All times are UTC - 4 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
Gemology Style ported to phpBB3 by Christian Bullock