02 · FebruaryAmethyst Oval Pendant 8×6 mm
Oval-cut amethyst, heated, in an open-back silver bezel.
- Natural
- Heated
- Mohs
- Wear
- 7
- Occasional
£95incl. VAT
Section: February
February — Amethyst
Amethyst — the purple variety of quartz
Mohs 7. Occasional wear. Prolonged strong sunlight can fade the colour.
3 pieces in this month, ordered by how often they can sensibly be worn — the most forgiving first.
Mineralogy
Amethyst is crystalline quartz, silicon dioxide, coloured by iron impurities and natural irradiation within the earth. Mohs 7. It occurs in geodes in Brazil, Uruguay and Zambia, sometimes as crystals over a metre across.
What the trade does to it
Gentle heating is routine and is used to even out colour zoning. Heating amethyst harder turns it yellow — which is where most commercial citrine comes from. Every amethyst here is declared heated.
Documented history
Amethyst has held February on the modern list since 1912. It was ranked among the most valuable stones in Europe until large Brazilian deposits were found in the nineteenth century, after which its price fell sharply — a documented market event, and one of the clearest examples of supply rewriting a stone's status.
February pieces
From £95 · all prices include VAT
Nothing in February reaches Mohs 8, so no piece in this month is graded for daily wear. If the piece needs to be worn every day without special care, look at April, July or September instead. We would rather say that than sell you something that will not survive the way you intend to wear it.
02 · February
Wear grades in this month
Suitable for daily wear
0 pieces in February
- Remove before contact sports and heavy manual work
- Remove before swimming pools and hot tubs — chlorine attacks the metal, not the stone
Occasional wear — avoid knocks
3 pieces in February
- Remove before gym equipment, gardening, DIY and washing up
- Do not stack against harder stones, which will abrade this one
- Avoid sudden temperature change
Delicate — special occasions only
0 pieces in February
- Remove before any physical activity — knocks will chip this stone
- Keep away from perfume, hairspray, cosmetics and hand sanitiser
- Avoid sudden temperature change and prolonged dry heat
- No ultrasonic tank, no steam, no soaking