MAGNIFICENT NATURAL PURPLE/BUE-VIOLET AMETHYST

High quality amethyst is found in both Africa and South America. But though African amethyst is much less common than the vast production from South America, the quality tends, on average, to be much higher. Where much of the South American amethyst is a pale violet or mid-toned purple, the Zambian amethyst tends to a highly saturated deep purple, sometimes with blue or red flashes. The richer color is very much in demand for finer jewelry, so the African amethyst tends to sell for a premium price. The Zambian amethyst is such a saturated purple that some material has to be rejected as too dark, a problem that hardly ever occurs with South American amethyst.

Another important difference between the locations is that the African amethyst tends to be found only in smaller sizes, while the South American amethyst can be found in very large sizes, even 40 or 50 carats or more. Zambian amethyst over 10 carats is very rare.

Natural Deep Amethyst

Species: Quartz

Shape/Cut: Oval

Clarity: Eye Clean

Polish: Excellent

Specific Gravity: 2.65

Hardness (Mohs): 7

Origin: Zambia

Total Weight: 2.3g (11.5ct)