Is your vintage jewellery set with a purple or violet gemstone? If so there is a good chance that that stone is amethyst. The amethyst is a popular gemstone which varies from a light violet to a deep Royal Purple in colour . The amethyst is a purple form of quartz.

The amethyst in history and legend

The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the amethyst protected from drunkenness, drinking from an amethyst bowl would keep you sober. In fact the word amethyst is derived from the ancient Greek work for intoxicated. The Legends of the Gods include variations of stories about Dionysus’s tears staining quartz purple to form amethyst.

The amethyst has been worn as a gemstone since at least Egyptian times

Is this a real amethyst or a piece of costume jewellery?

Whilst amethysts are quite abundant and not over particularly expensive as gemstones go, not every purple or violet stone you find is real. Some amethyst coloured stones are made of glass. Look deep into the amethyst with a 10 x magnifying class. Can you see round bubbles? if so it is most likely to be glass. Can you see tiger stripes? If so then your amethyst could well be real. You will need to take your gemstone to an experienced jewellery to be sure.

What makes an Amethyst valuable?

Like all gemstones the larger the better and the clearer the better. Amethysts can be quite opaque and cloudy and such stones are often turned into beads.

Care of Amethyst jewellery.

The amethyst is quite a tough material measuring 7 on Mohs scale . This means that any jewellery set with amethysts will be quite durable and it is suitable for wearing in rings. As with all jewellery you need to take a look at what the stone is set into before you decide how to clean it. If the amethyst is set into silver or jewellery and with no other stones present you may clean it in an ultrasonic cleaner without any real harm.  Alternatively a quick dip in liquid jewellery cleaner should be OK ( not silver dip) . Rinse well and pat dry.

Vintage Jewellery set with Amethysts

Here are a few examples of vintage jewellery set with amethysts available from antiquesavenue:

vintage pendant pearl amethyst silver baroque
What an amazing vintage pendant and is in the antique baroque style although it actually dates from the early 1900s. This pendant is made of silver and set with a central real amethyst and baroque and round pearls (I am presuming the round pearls are cultured although I cannot test these without damaging them). The smaller “amethysts” are coloured glass. I have added a newer silver chain so that this pendant is ready to wear.
Material:Silver, amethyst and costume jewellery Size: Pendant is 4 cms long and 3.6 cms wide. The silver chain is 60 cms long-Age:Early 1900s Condition: Excellent

 

Antique lavalier 9 carat gold amethyst 

gold ring diamond and amethysts