Gem of the Week: The Amethyst

A Georgian Amethyst Brooch With Pearls
The Three Graces

Prized for its deep color and hardness, amethyst is a type of quartz. Most amethysts are purple, however, a range of color exists between pinkish to a very deep eggplant color. Green quartz is often referred to as Green Amethyst. Ideally, a purple amethyst will exhibit a very deep color called “Deep Siberian” which, when cut correctly, will display flashes of red light, and sometimes blue.


Amethysts have been employed in jewelry-making for thousands of years. The stone’s hardness makes it ideal for intaglio carving. The Egyptians and ancient Greeks greatly valued the amethyst, the latter believing that the stone had been colored when Dionysus poured wine over it.

Once one of the “cardinal” gemstones—those considered the most valuable, among them: emeralds, diamonds, rubies and sapphires—discoveries of large quartz deposits in the Nineteenth Century devalued the stone a bit. Nevertheless, the amethyst is a beautiful gem which speaks of enduring elegance.