Amethyst buyer’s guide

Color zones

Amethyst often grows with bands of deeper and lighter purple. A well-cut stone places the stronger color across the face. A stone cut from the pale edge of a crystal can look large and still look empty.

Long heat, and sometimes prolonged strong sunlight, can fade the purple or shift it toward yellow. That is why a citrine in the trade is often heated amethyst. If a listing says the color is natural, that is a claim about that stone.

How it differs from purple sapphire

Purple sapphire is corundum, hardness 9, much denser. Amethyst is quartz. A carat of amethyst looks larger than a carat of sapphire. The price per carat is not comparable, and neither is the wear. Read the species in the title before you compare two purple photos.

Questions

Will amethyst fade?

Strong heat can fade it or turn it yellow or greenish. Ordinary indoor wear is usually fine. Do not leave it on a sunny sill or run it through a steamer.

Is a deeper purple always better?

Even, attractive violet is the goal. A very dark stone can look black in low light. Face-up color in normal room light matters more than a single saturated photo.