A recently productive location producing deep purple crystals is Jackson's Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia. There are several good localities in the Carolinas, specifically Statesville, Iredell Co., North Carolina the Reel Mine, Iron Station, Lincoln Co., North Carolina and Abbeville Co., South Carolina (the Diamond Hill Quartz Mine and the Ellis Jones Mine). In the U.S., fine Amethyst crystals comes from the Four Peaks (in the Mazatzal Mountains), Gila Co., Arizona in the Pohndorf Mine, Jefferson Co., Montana Crystal Park, Beaverhead Co., Montana the Pennoyer Mine at Redfeather Lakes, Larimer Co., Colorado and at Deer Hill, Oxford Co., Maine. The other locality is the area of Digby, Nova Scotia, where naturally rounded, waterworn Amethyst pebbles are found on the beaches along the Bay of Fundy. One is Thunder Bay, Ontario, where specimens contain an internal coating of red Hematite. There are two notable Canadian occurrences. Siberia and a drusy, lilac-colored Amethyst in globularĪssociations has recently come from Nyiri, in northeastern Hungary.
Very dark and clear Amethyst was once found in Russia in the Ural Mountains and In South Africa, extensive deposits are in Boekenhouthoek (Magaliesberg), Mkobola district, where the Amethyst occurs with a spiky overgrowth of small crystals (popularly called " Cactus Quartz"). In Namibia, an interesting occurrence is the Goboboseb Mountains, near Brandberg, in the Erongo Mountains, where crystals are zoned in lighter to darker colors. Large amounts of Amethyst are found both in Namibia and South Africa - these are often labeled in the jewelry industry as "African Amethyst".
An additional important South American locality, especially noted for Ametrine, is the Anahi Mine, Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Another South American country, Uruguay, produces deeply colored crystals in large geodes and pipes in Artigas, near the Brazilian border. Another excellent Mexican locality is Guanajuato, where plates of stubby crystals are found.Įnormous quantities of Amethyst come from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where huge crystal-lined Amethyst geodes are found, especially at Ametista do Sul. They occur in elongated crystals that are rarely faceted, since collectors pay well for these rarities. Tall, prismatic, well-shaped crystals are restricted to several Mexican localities: Piedras Parado and Las Vigas de Ramirez, both in Veracruz and Amatitlan, in Guerro. Only a select few of the most famous localities will be mentioned here. Small geode sections and tumbled stones are sold to amateur collectors, while more serious collectors go for the rare prismatic crystals and giant geode sections.Īmethyst is a very common mineral and is found worldwide. Large, massive chunks of Amethyst banded with Quartz is sometimes carved into ornaments.Īmethyst is also very popular among mineral collectors. Most Amethyst is faceted into jewelry cuts, and some are cut as cabochons. It has a beautiful color and is fairly common, making it an inexpensive and widely used gem. May also be mixed together with Citrine.Īmethyst is one of the most popular gems. Sometimes banded with purple and whitish lines. Its purple coloring is usually caused by impurities of iron or manganese compounds. Amethyst also forms the internal lining of geodes, some of which can be over 10 feet tall and weighing several tons.įor additional information, see the gemstone section on Amethyst. Some varieties may also change to a light green color, which is given the trade name "Prasiolite", or "Green Amethyst", as it is more commonly known in the gem trade.Īmethyst is most prevalent as small stubby pyramidal crystals, although several localities such as the Mexican occurrences are well-known for producing elegantly tall prismatic crystals, which are very highly regarded by collectors. When used as a gemstone, Amethyst is often heat treated to deepen the color, or to transform it into Citrine. The color of some Amethyst specimens from certain localities slowly fade upon prolonged exposure to light. Its name derives from the Greek "amethystos", which means "not drunken", as Amethyst in antiquity was thought to ward off drunkenness.
It is the purple variety of the mineral Quartz, and its most valuable and prized variety. Amethyst is a well known mineral and gemstone.
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