These sharp, lustrous and transparent purple amethyst crystals are a variety of quartz. They form an attractive group of radiating prisms. In ancient times, amethyst was believed to protect the wearer from becoming intoxicated.
Amethyst occurs in primary hues from a light lavender or pale violet to a deep purple. Amethyst may exhibit one or both secondary hues, red and blue. High-quality amethyst can be found in Siberia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Uruguay, and the Far East.
In Western Australia, the Ashburton River area provides fine amethyst for gemstones and mineral specimens. Chrysoprase is found at several localities and silicified rocks, such as jaspilite and tiger iron are used for ornamental purposes.
Mookaite Jasper. Not only is Mookaite Jasper completely unique to Australia, it also beautifully resembles the outback with its vivid colours of red, yellow, cream, brown and burgundy/purple. It is the perfect Australian crystal and was first mined in the mid-1960s.
Australia's rare gemstone
Musgravite ranges in color from grayish green to purple hues. Classified as 'extremely rare,' the gemstone wasn't discovered until the 1960s in South Australia. As far as experts know, the only place Musgravite can be found in Australia is in Musgrave Ranges.
Musgravite is one of the newest and most rare gemstones in the world. Musgravite is a silicate mineral whose main ingredients are beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg) and aluminum (Al). It was named 'musgravite' after the area Musgrave in Australia from where the material was first found.
Cross-culturally, this popular gemstone was used as a symbol of peace and unification. It is also thought to evoke feelings of serenity and calmness in those who wear it. Amethyst is often used during meditation to provide an overall sense of spiritual balance.
How Rare is Amethyst? Not very rare, it is plentiful, but with all gemstones, the better the color the more rare it is.
Authentic gems should be slightly imperfect. There should be some color zoning and the shade should have tones of white or blue in addition to purple. A gem that is one particular shade of purple throughout is likely a fake. You should also look for things like bubbles and cracks within the amethyst.
Australia's national gemstone is the opal, a stone famous across the world for its brilliant colours. In Indigenous stories, a rainbow created the colours of the opal when it touched the earth.
Opal is found around the world (Brazil, Mexico, Honduras and the western US) however Australia produces 95% of the world's precious opal and it is our official national gemstone.
Purple Fluorite
Generally, fluorite gemstones are cut from deeply colored stones. Still, they can come from those with less intense color forms. Because of its deep purple hue, Fluorite can closely resemble an Amethyst. It's also brightly fluorescent in ultraviolet light—hence the name Fluorite.
In addition, examining their texture and surface features can also provide important clues to their identity. It is crucial to note that many crystals can appear similar, and it may be necessary to perform further testing, such as hardness tests or specific gravity tests, to confirm their identity.
Purple rocks, which may range in hue from blue to violet, get their color from the minerals those rocks contain. Although fairly rare, you can find purple, blue, or violet minerals in these four types of rocks, ordered from most to least common: Pegmatites composed primarily of large crystals, such as granite.
While the Amethyst is a valuable gemstone, it's also relatively affordable. There's several factors that determine if it is more or less expensive. These determining factors are the 4 C's: color, clarity, carat, and cut.
Suddenly, amethyst had become more readily available than ever before, and as such, was no longer classed as a rare type of gem. Today, even at the higher grades, amethyst is quite affordable. Prices range between $20 and $30 per carat. Particularly pure pieces of the gemstone are priced at around $40 or $50 per carat.
Amethyst is crystalline quartz in colors ranging from pale lilac to deep reddish purple. With a relatively high hardness of 7, the February birthstone is a fine facetable jewelry gem for all purposes. Lower grades of material can be cabbed, carved, and made into a great variety of beads and other ornamental objects.
It boosts intuition.
And of course, with your mind stilled and the negative thought patterns quieted, amethyst is also excellent for strengthening your intuition and third-eye chakra. "The amethyst crystal is a highly spiritual stone that's thought to help open up the third eye and connect people to their intuition.
Amethyst is a powerful and protective stone. It guards against psychic attack, transmuting the energy into love and protecting the wearer from all types of harm, including geopathic or electromagnetic stress and ill wishes from others.
It brings prosperity, peace and wisdom. It also has a calming effect which makes it helpful for meditation. Women who wish to conceive children should keep an amethyst close by or be wearing it at all times as it will help them balance their hormones throughout pregnancy.
The most popular gemstones that are found in Australia are opals, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds. However, there are other gemstones that can be found as well.
Australia's iconic stone, precious opal is made of silica which has an iridescent play of colour. Intense colours, with lots of red and orange in a chequered “Harlequin” pattern increases an opal's value.
Painite : Not just the rarest gemstone, but also the rarest mineral on earth, Painite holds the Guinness World Record for it. After its discovery in the year 1951, there existed only 2 specimens of Painite for the next many decades. By the year 2004, there were less than 2 dozens known gemstones.