Here’s How February Babies Can Identify An Authentic Amethyst

Born in February? Lucky you. Your birthstone Amethyst is an attractive gem that comes in various shades of purple. However, since synthetic amethyst is very common, it can be challenging to differentiate real amethyst from fake ones.

Still, the stone’s cut, colour, and clarity help you a great deal in being sure. You can also go for a professional assessment of your amethyst.

Colour

February birthstone Amethyst is primarily a purple or violet stone. But don’t be surprised if you find one with a slightly reddish amethyst. However, amethyst’s brightness varies from stone to stone.

 

While some gems have a light purple glimmer, others can be so dark that they appear blackish under light. Amethyst stone is also known for colour-zoning – uneven distribution of colour, which dramatically lowers its value. To spot that, place it on a flat white surface. One more thing that has been noticed about amethyst is that it responses differently in different lighting.

Clarity

An authentic amethyst usually appears clean with the naked eye. That means the stone is free of inclusions – visible contents trapped in a gem during its formation. Moreover, bubbles and discolorations are also eye-clean.

In case you find an amethyst gem that is consistently purple throughout, know that it is likely to be a fake one. A real gem will have some slight wear or tear in the form of cracks accrued over time. To minimise imperfections, jeweller sometimes treats the stone and therefore, observe the stone under a magnifying glass for colour zoning and scratches.

Cut

Amethyst is easy to cut and can be smooth and polished. Amethyst jewellery comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Round shapes, pear shapes, squares and hearts, are some of the common shapes in which a genuine amethyst is available.

However, if the amethyst stone is cut into a round shape, look for uneven  distribution of colour. Since in an authentic amethyst stone there is colour variation, it is cut round to make the inconsistency less noticeable.

Carat

Amethyst is available in various size ranges and can be set into a variety of jewellery. Moreover, it’s popular as a large centre stone as the price per carat does not increase drastically with larger size. 

February birthstone Amethyst is also easily found in calibrated cuts. That means amethyst stones are cut exactly to standard industry sizes, in all qualities. However, the specific gravity of amethyst should be around 2.65.