Amethyst

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Amethyst (disambiguation).

Amethyst

Amethyst cluster from Artigas, Uruguay

General

Category Silicate mineral

Formula Silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2)

(repeating unit)

Crystal system Trigonal

Crystal class Trapezohedral (32)

Space group P3221 (no. 154)

Identification

Color Purple, violet, dark purple

Crystal habit 6-sided prism ending in 6-sided pyramid (typical)

Twinning Dauphine law, Brazil law, and Japan law

Cleavage None

Fracture Conchoidal

Mohs scale hardness 7–lower in impure varieties

Luster Vitreous/glassy

Streak White

Diaphaneity Transparent to translucent

Specific gravity 2.65 constant; variable in impure varieties

Optical properties Uniaxial (+)

Refractive index nω = 1.543–1.553

nε = 1.552–1.554

Birefringence +0.009 (B-G interval)

 Pleochroism Weak to moderate purple/reddish purple

Melting point 1650±75 °C

Solubility Insoluble in common solvents

Other characteristics Piezoelectric

Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine

Greek αμέθυστος amethystos from α- a-, "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient
Greek) methysko / μεθώ metho (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief
that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness.  Ancient Greeks wore amethyst
[1]

and carved drinking vessels from it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication.

Amethyst, a semiprecious stone, is often used in jewelry.

Structure[edit]
Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (SiO ) and owes its violet color to irradiation,
2

impurities of iron and in some cases other transition metals, and the presence of other
trace elements, which result in complex crystal lattice substitutions.  The hardness of [2][3][4]

the mineral is the same as quartz, thus making it suitable for use in jewelry.

Hue and tone[edit]

Amethyst occurs in primary hues from a light lavender or pale violet to a deep purple.
Amethyst may exhibit one or both secondary hues, red and blue.  High-quality amethyst [5]

can be found in Siberia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Uruguay, and the Far East. The ideal grade,
called "Deep Siberian", has a primary purple hue of around 75–80%, with 15–20% blue
and (depending on the light source) red secondary hues.  "Rose de France" is defined
[6]

by its markedly light shade of the purple, reminiscent of a lavender/lilac shade. These

pale colors were once considered undesirable, but have recently become popular due
to intensive marketing. [7]

Green quartz is sometimes incorrectly called green amethyst; this is a misnomer and
not an appropriate name for the material, as the proper terminology is prasiolite.  Other [8]

names for green quartz are vermarine or lime citrine.

Amethyst frequently shows color zoning, with the most intense color typically found at
the crystal terminations. It is the most prized variety of quartz.  One of a gem [9]

cutter’s tasks is to make a finished product with even color. Sometimes, only a thin layer
of a natural, uncut amethyst is violet colored, or the color is very uneven. The uncut
gem may have only a small portion that is suitable for faceting. [10][11]
Natural purple/violet amethyst

Heat-treated amethyst, also known as citrine

Natural pink amethyst

The color of amethyst has been demonstrated to result from substitution by irradiation of
trivalent iron (Fe ) for silicon in the structure,  in the presence of trace elements of large
3+ [4][12]

ionic radius,  and to a certain extent, the amethyst color can naturally result from
[3]

displacement of transition elements even if the iron concentration is low. Natural

amethyst is dichroic in reddish violet and bluish violet,  but when heated, turns yellow-
[4]

orange, yellow-brown, or dark brownish and may resemble citrine,  but loses its
[13]

dichroism, unlike genuine citrine. When partially heated, amethyst can result
in ametrine.
Amethyst can fade in tone if overexposed to light sources, and can be artificially
darkened with adequate irradiation.  It does not fluoresce under either short-wave or
[4]

long-wave UV light.
Geographic distribution[edit]
Amethyst is found in many locations around the world. Between 2000 and 2010, the
greatest production was from Marabá and Pau d'Arco, Pará, and the Paraná Basin, Rio
Grande do Sul, Brazil; Sandoval, Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Artigas, Uruguay; Kalomo,
Zambia; and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lesser amounts are found in many other locations
in Africa, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Russia, Afghanistan, South Korea, Mexico, and the
United States. [14]

Main amethyst-producing countries

Amethyst is produced in abundance in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil where it
occurs in large geodes within volcanic rocks.  Many of the hollow agates of [15][16][17][18]

southwestern Brazil and Uruguay contain a crop of amethyst crystals in the

interior. Artigas, Uruguay and neighboring Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul are large
world producers, with lesser quantities mined in Minas Gerais and Bahia states. [14]

An amethyst geode that formed when large crystals grew in open spaces inside the rock

The largest amethyst geode found to date was the Empress of Uruguay, found in
Artigas, Uruguay in 2007. It stands at a height of 3.27 meters, lays open along its
length, and weighs 2.5 tons.
Amethyst is also found and mined in South Korea.  The large opencast amethyst vein [19]

at Maissau, Lower Austria, was historically important,  but is no longer included among [1]

significant producers.  Much fine amethyst comes from Russia, especially near

[14]

Mursinka in the Ekaterinburg district, where it occurs in drusy cavities in granitic rocks. [1]

 Amethyst was historically mined in many localities in south India,  though these are no
[14] [1]
longer significant producers.  One of the largest global amethyst producers is Zambia in
[14]

southern Africa, with an annual production around 1000 tons. [20]

Amethyst occurs at many localities in the United States. The most important production
is at Four Peaks, Gila and Maricopa Counties, Arizona, and Jackson's
Crossroads, Wilkes County, Georgia. [14]

Smaller occurrences have been reported in the Red Feather Lakes, near Fort Collins,
Colorado; Amethyst Mountain, Texas; Yellowstone National Park; Delaware County,
Pennsylvania; Haywood County, North Carolina; Deer Hill and Stow, Maine, and in
the Lake Superior region of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. [1]

Amethyst is relatively common in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia.

The largest amethyst mine in North America is located in Thunder Bay, Ontario. [14]

Amethyst is the official state gemstone of South Carolina. Several South Carolina
amethysts are on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. [21]

History[edit]

Roman intaglio engraved gem of Caracalla in amethyst, once in the Treasury of Sainte-Chapelle

Uninscribed amethyst scarab at the center of a string of amethyst ball beads from Egypt

Amethyst was used as a gemstone by the ancient Egyptians and was largely employed

in antiquity for intaglio engraved gems. [22]

The ancient Greeks believed amethyst gems could prevent intoxication,  while medieval [23]

European soldiers wore amethyst amulets as protection in battle in the belief that

amethysts heal people and keep them cool-headed.  Beads of amethyst were found [24]

in Anglo-Saxon graves in England.  Anglican bishops wear an episcopal ring often set

[25]

with an amethyst, an allusion to the description of the Apostles as "not drunk"

at Pentecost in Acts 2:15. [26]

A large geode, or "amethyst-grotto", from near Santa Cruz in southern Brazil was

presented at a 1902 exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany. [1]

The meaning of amethyst varies from time to time and culture, which is why amethyst
has different meanings in Feng Shui and focuses on increasing wealth. In ancient
China, it was also used as a powerful tool to remove negative energies and drive away
the hazards of daily life. [self-published source?]

Synthetic amethyst[edit]
Synthetic (laboratory-grown) amethyst is produced by a synthesis method called
hydrothermal growth, which grows the crystals inside a high-pressure autoclave.
Synthetic amethyst is made to imitate the best quality amethyst. Its chemical and
physical properties are the same as those of natural amethyst, and it cannot be
differentiated with absolute certainty without advanced gemmological testing (which is
often cost-prohibitive). One test based on "Brazil law twinning" (a form of quartz
twinning where right- and left-hand quartz structures are combined in a single crystal ) [27]

can be used to identify most synthetic amethyst rather easily. Synthesizing twinned
amethyst is possible, but this type is not available in large quantities in the market.
[6]

Treated amethyst is produced by gamma ray, X-ray, or electron-beam irradiation of

clear quartz (rock crystal), which has been first doped with ferric impurities. Exposure to
heat partially cancels the irradiation effects and amethyst generally becomes yellow or
even green. Much of the citrine, cairngorm, or yellow quartz of jewelry is said to be
merely "burnt amethyst". [1][28]

Cultural history[edit]
Ancient Greece[edit]

Emerald cut amethyst

The Greek word amethystos may be translated as "not drunken", from Greek a-, "not"

+ methustos, "intoxicated". Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against
drunkenness,  which is why wine goblets were often carved from it.  In his poem
[29] [30]

"L'Amethyste, ou les Amours de Bacchus et d'Amethyste" (Amethyst or the loves of

Bacchus and Amethyste), the French poet Rémy Belleau (1528–1577) invented a myth
in which Bacchus, the god of intoxication, of wine, and grapes was pursuing a maiden
named Amethyste, who refused his affections. Amethyste prayed to the gods to remain
chaste, a prayer which the chaste goddess Diana answered, transforming her into a
white stone. Humbled by Amethyste's desire to remain chaste, Bacchus poured wine
over the stone as an offering, dyeing the crystals purple.[31][32]

Variations of the story include that Dionysus had been insulted by a mortal and swore to
slay the next mortal who crossed his path, creating fierce tigers to carry out his wrath.
The mortal turned out to be a beautiful young woman, Amethystos, who was on her way
to pay tribute to Artemis. Her life was spared by Artemis, who transformed the maiden
into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws. Dionysus
wept tears of wine in remorse for his action at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god's
tears then stained the quartz purple. [33]

This myth and its variations are not found in classical sources. However, the
goddess Rhea does present Dionysus with an amethyst stone to preserve the wine-
drinker's sanity in historical text.
[34]

Other cultural associations[edit]

Tibetans consider amethyst sacred to the Buddha and make prayer beads from it.
 Amethyst is considered the birthstone of February.  In the Middle Ages, it was
[35] [36]

considered a symbol of royalty and used to decorate English regalia.  In the Old World,
[36]

amethyst was considered one of the cardinal gems, in that it was one of the five
gemstones considered precious above all others, until large deposits were found in
Brazil.[37]