Summary:When buying Amazonite gem, first check for luster. The surface of the gem should be bright and shinning. It consists of vitreous luster that separates it from all other green coloured gems. The stone is opaque and translucent in nature. As it is opaque, clarity is difficult to be judged and also it does not weigh much importance.
Amazonite, the name is derived from the Amazon river, although it is not
procured from the river. It is also called as Amazonstone. The composition of
Amazonite is Potassium aluminosilicate [KAlSi3O8] and is found in igneous rock.
It belongs to feldspar family and referred as Microcline. It occurs in crystal
forms in large sizes.
Since 19th century United States is the major producer of the gemstone. It is
also found in Brazil, Italy, Canada and Ural Mountain of Russia. The quality of
this semi precious gemstone with respect to purity and vibrant colour, is best
obtained from United States. Other countries that offer Amazonite are East
Siberia, Ukraine, Middle Asia and North Karelia.
When buying Amazonite gem, first check for luster. The surface of the gem should
be bright and shinning. It consists of vitreous luster that separates it from
all other green coloured gems. The stone is opaque and translucent in nature. As
it is opaque, clarity is difficult to be judged and also it does not weigh much
importance. However, usually all the stones of this semi precious variety
possess deep clarity.
Rough Amazonite Video
After the luster, colour is a crucial characteristic to be checked before buying
a true stone. This bright luster gemstone occurs in different shades of green to
blue-green. The most common colour is bluish green while pure green colour is
very rare. The green colour appears due to the presence of lead impurity in the
composition. Any colour shade of the stone may not be evenly spread throughout
the surface. Colour patches on the surface of the gem could be visible in few
gemstones. Amazonite also consists of white streaks / white lines within its
structure. These white lines, visible by naked eyes are called as perthitic
texture. Few gemstone collectors treasure these lines a lot and prefer amazonite
possessing the same.
Amazonite is cut into various shapes and styles due to its simple cleavage like
heart, square, oval, round etc. Cabochon is the most popular shape. This unique
property makes the gemstone quite in demand among the jewelry designers. It is
paired with other semi precious stones to create amazing ornaments. In west,
this gemstone is not only used for making jewelry items but also for making
decorative items such as attractive chandeliers, vases, lampshade, decorative
boxes, candle holder etc.
On an average this gemstone is priced moderately as it is available in large
quantity. However, the price difference between two amazonite stones would be
due to the difference in size, carat weight, colour, luster and originality.
Larger the size more will be the price and vice versa. Larger stones give a rich
and authentic look to the jewelry items. Next is carat weight. Increase in carat
weight would also increase the price of the gemstone. Being, an affordable semi
precious stone, gemstone lovers prefer wearing high carat weight stone in finger
rings and earrings that is single stone weighing between 3-5 carat.
Similarly, the cost of the gemstone increases with the brightness of the colour
and luster. More intense the colour and luster, more valuable the gem becomes in
terms of money. Pure green coloured gemstone is rarely found hence, fetches
maximum price. White lines present in green coloured Amazonite are further more
valuable. Lastly, buyers should always look for natural gemstone. Natural stones
are priced more than the synthetic and treated gemstones. If the gemstone is
natural, possess rare green colour with white streaks and is large, high carat
weight with vitreous luster then it would cost the maximum. The cost would come
down when one or more than one of these characteristics are missing.
Inspite of being quite affordable, few dealers sell some other stones as
Amazonite. It is often confused with other semi precious stone Jade. Amazon jade
is the name commonly used to mislead the innocent buyers. One also has to be
careful from cheap imitations and synthesized stones. However, it is even used
as a substitute for the precious gemstone Emerald and semi precious gemstone
Turquoise.
Apart from the gemstone, it is largely used in form of beads and cameos for
different jewelry items. Many females around the world wear plain amazonite
beads string in form of a necklace. Beads possess bright colour thus, offer
grace and sophisticated look to the ornaments. It might even consist of white
lines that further enhance the appearance of the jewelry.
While making the purchase of beads always take care of few things. The colour
and luster should be as bright and intense as in Amazonite gemstones. White
lines if present then it should be balanced in all the beads. Good colour offers
harmonious look to the necklace and long earrings. All the beads in the strings
should be evenly shaped. Size of the hole of the bead should be large enough to
get into a strong double/triple thread. Not a single bead should not be cracked
or chipped from the hole else it might slowly tear the thread and valuable beads
can be lost. Finally, make sure the length of the strand is not less as promised
by the seller. Sometimes, buyers end up paying the price of 16 inch strand and
take away only 15 inch or 14 inch strand. Therefore, always check for the length
before leaving the seller's premises.
Like all other gemstone, Amazonite gems and beads should be protected from sharp
blows and scratches. It measures 6 Mohs on the hardness scale. Jewelry boxes
lined with soft cloth or cotton must be used for storing gemstone and respective
ornaments. For cleaning, only mild soap water should be used. After cleaning,
the gemstone and its jewelry items, must be wiped off with a soft cloth in such
a way that no moisture is left behind.
For generations, Amazonite is considered to possess many metaphysical
properties. Few to mention are - it is believed to heal mental and physical
problems. It is also said that the wearer of this gem develops many soft skills
like effective communication, self - expression and public speaking. It also
enhances intuition power, creativity and intellect. The stone is responsible to
relieve stress, fear, anxiety and exhaustion. It is associated with heart chakra
and throat chakra thus dispels erratic and negative energies. Across the globe
people wear this gemstone to balance all the charkas and attain peace at heart
and mind.
Apart for these metaphysical properties, Amazonite is considered as lucky " Hope
Stone". This implies that the wearer of this gemstone gets positive dreams and
turns hopeful towards life. So if one wants their luck to favor them then they
should try wearing this bluish green gemstone. Do give a thought !!
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