An amethyst stone is a gorgeous violet color that is a perfect choice for antique, traditional, or contemporary style jewelry. To enhance the stone’s appearance, jewelers can use any cut but one that stands out from the others is the princess cut. In fact, a princess cut amethyst is without doubt one of the most gorgeous stones for rings, earrings, bracelets, and pendants.
A princess cut amethyst is made from different types of quartz, again with a beautiful violet color. At first, researchers and gemologists believed the rich violet color was caused by the presence of manganese but in recent years, experts now believe the violet color is caused from some kind of organic source such as sulfur, ferric thiocyanate, aluminum, and even iron.
Although most people prefer an authentic princess cut amethyst, another option is to choose a synthetic stone. With this, quality is still high and in fact, physical and chemical properties between the two are very much alike. The only serous advantage in purchasing a synthetic princess cut amethyst is a more affordable price. However, real amethysts are not overly expensive so this would be a personal decision the buyer would need to make.
A real amethyst is a unique stone being comprised of irregular superposition of right and left-handed quartz. This phenomenon is caused by mechanical stresses, which is what gives the stone its gorgeous appearance and hardness. In fact, this particular stone is so strong and durable that on the Mohs Scale, it is given a number seven, meaning the stone is a great choice for all jewelry designs.
As for the violet color that makes a princess cut amethyst so amazing, the hues actually vary. For instance, some amethyst stones will be more of a pink violet while others are a very, deep purple color. Interestingly, unlike other stones used in making jewelry, the amethyst also features one or two additional hues of blue and red. Although each person has his or her own preference, from an expert’s point of view, the perfect stone would have between 75% and 80% purple hues and 15% to 20% blue or red hues.
The amethyst stone has a long, interesting history, being a stone popular with ancient Egyptians. However, this particular stone was also used among ancient Greeks who felt the stone could keep people from becoming intoxicated. Additionally, soldiers in European countries often carried amulets made of amethyst into battle as a means of protection. Even the Anglo-Saxon graves throughout England were found with amethyst beads inside. Today, this stone is a popular choice for all types of jewelry, especially a princess cut amethyst, which is elegant, sophisticated, and intriguing.
Amethyst is mined from within volcanic rock. The primary area where amethyst is found is in Brazil, specifically a state called Minas Gerais. Amethyst is also found in abundance in various parts of South Korea, Austria, Russia, Uruguay, and India. However, the number one mining location for amethyst is Zambia where some 1,000 tons are mined every year.
While amethyst is considered a precious gemstone, it has lost some value primarily because of the huge deposits found around the world, especially in Brazil. This means to the consumer that buying amethyst has just become more affordable. What people need to remember is that the beauty and qualifies of the amethyst have not changed. The only thing different is that finding this particular stone is not as difficult as it was believed to be, thus lower value.
An amethyst can be made in any cut. However, with the princess cut being the second most popular choice second only to a round stone, going with a princess cut amethyst helps increase the value. In other words, while the value of the stone has decreased, when the stone is coupled with the incredible princess cut, the piece of jewelry overall increases in value.
The great thing about this cut is that it is distinct, falling into a category of its own. With a princess cut amethyst, the cut shares the same diameter with the round cut but interestingly, the stone will weigh more due to the four corners. For people looking to purchase a princess cut amethyst, they may see this advertised as a “square modified brilliant” cut, which is the same.
When looking at a princess cut amethyst, the brilliance is obvious. Just as with other cuts, the princess would be graded for a number of characteristics. For instance, the American Gem Society or AGS gives grades for light return since this particular cut offers such high performance. Best of all, this cut is actually very affordable. When first introduced, the princess cut was expensive but with demand being so high, jewelers have been able to lower cost.
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