Amethyst Rings

by Sheweta Dhanuka

The name is derived from the Greek word amethystos, that means ‘not intoxicated’. Therefore, it is closely associated with the belief that it protects the wearer from the drunkenness.

Amethyst, the purple semi precious gemstone makes women beautiful and offers
them peace of mind and security of self being. Every woman having the love for
gemstones and little money can wear it. Amethyst is the most affordable
gemstone. It is February birthstone and 4th & 6th anniversary gemstone.

The name is derived from the Greek word ‘amethystos’, that means ‘not
intoxicated’. Therefore, it is closely associated with the belief that it
protects the wearer from the drunkenness. The purple colour was considered as
wine colour. It was also a royal colour that was part of ancient crowns and
jewels. In past, royal women had great love and passion for amethyst rings. Even
today the passion and demand for these beautiful rings continues.

At the jewelry shop, there are many varieties of amethyst rings available in
attractive designs. While selecting the ring, begin with the colour of the
stone. Amethyst comes in all shades of purple. It is a popular choice because of
the transparent purple colour. Deeper the purple shade better it is. Lighter
shades are also fine but dark shade enhances the beauty of finger rings. It
ranges from pale lilac to all shades of purple.

Few stones can also exhibit violet colour. Amethyst is procured from metamorphic
and igneous rocks having coarse grained silicon minerals. It contains iron
element that is responsible for violet colour. The preference should be for
those rings having medium to dark purple colour. Check that the colour is
saturated and even throughout the stone. And all rings should have vitreous
luster.

Next comes clarity. Amethyst is a clean gemstone. It is free from all sorts of
inclusions and flaws. Being quite transparent, it is bright and sparkles.
Sometimes it posses very minor inclusion. Such stones if having dark purple
shade, can be selected. The price should be very less.

After checking the clarity, the cut of the stone had to be selected. A good cut
enhances the overall beauty of the ring. The cut should have fine proportions,
even sides and well polished. Amethyst is a hard stone so cutting is easy and
simple. Market offers wide variety of cuts in different styles and shapes. It is
often cut in round shapes so as to maximize the colour especially when there is
uneven distribution of colour. When the colour is evenly distributed then other
shapes are preferred.

Pear, heart, oval and marquise cut are quite common for rings. Square shape
amethyst rings are available too. These days very attractive designer rings are
being made. Everything looks very beautiful and versatile. It is hard to select
one. The selection should be done on the basis of long lasting feature and
durability. There should be a proper balance between width of the ring, stone
size, ring setting and matter used for making the ring.

Amethyst rings are made up of silver, platinum, 14 K & 18K white gold and 14K &
18 K yellow gold. The size of amethyst stone starts from 0.40 to 1 carat. It can
be single stone or 2-3 stones combined together pushing the total weight of
amethyst to 3 carats. In a single stone ring the stone size can even go up to 2.5
carats.

For rings, amethyst is paired with other stones having prong setting. Take care
the center piece i.e. amethyst stone should be larger than other stones and
prongs holds the stones properly. The stones should be secured. The rings made
up of yellow gold having amethyst paired with diamond and pearl looks wonderful.

Mostly, amethyst is paired with diamonds. But, designer rings having amethyst
combined with other semi precious stones like alexandrite, aquamarine etc are
also created. Only consideration should be that the stones together give the
complete finished look. In other words, whatever combination is designed it
should complement each other. Rest rings can be selected on the basis of
gemstone liking and the pocket of the individual.

As amethyst is available in large quantities around the world, it has become
quite affordable. United states has huge deposits of amethyst and so is gemstone
land Brazil. Thus, price is relatively less than other gemstones. Other
countries that procure amethyst are Russia, Sri Lanka, India, Mexico, Canada and
African countries – Namibia, Madagascar, Uruguay and Zambia.

Amethyst is priced moderately. In all price budgets this gemstone can be
purchased. Deeper purple colour is considered as high quality amethyst and
becomes more valuable in terms of money. Price reduces with the reduction in the
intensity of colour of the stone. When shade gets lighter, price becomes less.
And also gems having violet, blue or gray tint in it are cheaper. The most
expensive amethyst stone that fetches a high price per carat would possess dark
purple shade and in different light sources produce red flash effect when moved
in circular direction. However, such amethyst are quite rare to be seen.

Be careful with the lab created amethyst. It can easily be synthesized with the
modern methods and technologies. Synthetically produced amethyst produces colour
zoning that resembles chevron (V-shaped mark in military uniform). These stone
looks awful in rings so avoid it. Moreover, natural stones are always better
than the man made stones. Thus, ensure the seller is genuine and reliable.

Amethyst rings can be cleaned in the ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. In case all the
risks are to be avoided then the simplest method is to clean the ring with Luke
warm soapy water and a soft bristle brush. After the wash, wipe it off with
cotton or soft cloth.

Keep the rings and other amethyst jewelry in a fabric or cotton lined box.
Although amethyst is a hard stone having 7 Mohs hardness and can bear the rough
work but, prevention is always better for long lasting retention. So protect it
from scratches, sharp blows & excessive heat and look beautiful forever by
wearing amethyst rings.