Most likely a single-color Amethyst gem is a fake. A real amethyst stone will have a color zoning pattern, including white, blue, and purple shades. There will be no bubbles in a genuine Amethyst gem but there may be threads and impurities beneath its surface. There is no doubt that amethyst is a popular gemstone.
Amethyst is not an expensive crystal. You may have to pay a high price when buying an Amethyst crystal with deep purple color.
It is crucial to learn how to Identify Amethyst. It will help you find the most suitable Amethyst crystal for their healing benefits.
What Is Amethyst?
Amethyst is a crystal from the Quartz crystal family as there are many types of quartz crystals due to metal impurities.
Amethyst has iron as the metal impurity that gives it a purple color.
Iron changes to Fe3+ when it faces gamma radiations.
This form of iron is purple.
If there is more Fe3+ in the Amethyst due to more radiation exposure, it shows deep purple color.
You can give the Amethyst as a gift to people born in February because it is their birthstone.
It is better to learn how to tell if Amethyst is real to ensure you get the authentic crystal.
Many sellers may scam you by giving you a fake Amethyst crystal at a high price.
How Can You Tell if Amethyst Is Real/Identify Amethyst?
You can tell if Amethyst is real when you check the color shade, color zoning, clarity, hardness, and specific gravity.
You can also collect information about the Amethyst source to identify it.
There are some grades of the Amethyst with different price tags.
It is easier to identify a fake crystal when someone gives you the highest quality Amethyst at a lower price.
Some identify the authenticity of a crystal by its imperfections.
There are some imperfections under the surface of Amethyst crystals.
You will not see bubbles in the Amethyst as all inclusions are in the crystal structure.
We have compiled details of the most crucial factors for the Amethyst identification.
1) To Tell if Amethyst Is Real, Check the Color
You will not find an Amethyst crystal in the same color as it has some color zones in the Amethyst.
You may notice a color gradient in the Amethyst.
The purple color of Amethyst is darker near the edges.
The center of the crystal has a light purple color.
You may also find a hue of red color in the crystal due to iron impurities.
The color ranges from violet to purple.
Some crystals form by the combination of Amethyst and other types.
Ametrine is a famous crystal that consists of Citrine and Amethyst parts.
You can see the bands of these crystals in the crystal structure.
You can identify these bands when you know how to identify Amethyst.
2) To Tell if Amethyst Is Real Check the Injected Dyes
You can learn how to tell if Amethyst is authentic by finding the injected dyes.
Some sellers inject purple color into the quartz crystal to turn it into fake Amethyst.
They do not give healing benefits of the Amethyst as sellers inject the dyes into the cracks.
You can look for the cracks with high pigment concentration.
The Amethyst crystal is counterfeit when you find the cracks with high pigment concentration.
It is an indication that someone used dye to color the crystal.
Sellers use fake products to gain more profits.
3) To Tell if Amethyst Is Real Check the Clarity
Some gems are clear because they form in a specialized environment.
Most others have bubbles inside because they form in harsh conditions leading to bubble production in the crystals.
Quartz is one of the few crystals without bubbles.
You can see through the quartz crystal as they do not have bubbles.
Some quartz crystals can have threads.
Getting a magnifying glass to find bubbles in the quartz is better.
If there are a lot of bubbles, it can be a glass piece instead of quartz.
Amethyst consists of quartz crystals.
If something does not have features of the quartz, it cannot be Amethyst.
You can observe the Amethyst in natural light to check its authenticity.
4) To Tell if Amethyst Is Real, Check the Variety of Cut
It is easy to cut the Amethyst to form different shapes.
If you find a crystal with a heart or round shape, it does not mean the Amethyst is fake.
The sellers will also cut the Amethyst and polish it to give a smooth finish.
It does not mean that all imperfections of the crystals are not there.
The Amethyst should have imperfections in the form of threads.
Taking your magnifying glass with you when you want to purchase the Amethyst is better.
Sellers do not mind that you check the crystal with a magnifying glass if they do not have anything to hide.
The shape is not an indicator of fake Amethyst crystals.
5) To Tell if Amethyst Is Real Do the Specific Gravity Test
You can learn to measure the specific gravity when you want an accurate value for the crystal authenticity.
Most other tests do not provide an authenticity guarantee as everyone can have a different result of observation.
It is not the case with specific gravity measurements.
You can follow these steps to measure the specific gravity of the Amethyst.
The specific gravity value of the Amethyst is 2.65.
It means that an equal volume of Amethyst can have 2.7 times the weight of water.
- Arrange a scale, water, beaker, weight balance, and Amethyst crystal.
- Place the beaker on the weight balance and find the weight.
- Check the weight of the Amethyst crystal by placing it on the weight balance.
- You can measure some water and add it to the beaker.
- You can place the Amethyst in the beaker and measure the volume difference.
- You can find the volume of the Amethyst crystal by changing of water level.
- You can weigh the beaker again and use the Math formula Weight over volume to find the specific gravity.
- If the value is other than 2.65, you have a fake Amethyst.
6) To Tell if Amethyst Is Real, Check the Hardness of Amethyst
Hardness is an important parameter in identifying all types of crystals.
You can classify all crystals on the Moh hardness scale.
One means that the object is softest.
Talcum powder has a value of one.
Diamond has a hardness of 10 because it is the hardest material.
Amethyst has a Moh score of 7.
You cannot scratch it with your fingernail.
You cannot scratch the Amethyst with the knife also because the knife has a Moh score of 5.
There are some testing kits to check the hardness of crystals.
7) To Tell if Amethyst Is Real Check Its Origin
It is better to ask about the origin of the Amethyst because it will give you some information about the crystal.
Some crystals are only available in one place.
It is not the case with the Amethyst, as you can find it worldwide.
Origin information will not allow you to decide on crystal authenticity.
It will give you a hint about it.
You can find Amethyst in different places in the world.
Deep purple crystals are only available in Brazil.
If the seller is giving you an expensive Amethyst in deep color, it should be from Brazil or Russia.
8) To Tell if Amethyst Is Real, Check the Price of Amethyst
Amythyst is not an expensive gemstone because it is not rare.
You can find high-quality Amethyst at different places in the world.
The price of the Amethyst depends on gem quality, number of imperfections, type of cut, size, and color.
You will get a polished stone from the market.
It may cost you around 2 dollars to 30 dollars for one carat.
Jewelers with high-quality gems will not give you a good Amethyst for less than 20 dollars.
All the deals of high-quality Amethyst at a lower price than 20 dollars have a high chance of being fake.
9) To Tell if Amethyst Is Real, Check if Sellers Used Strange Names
Some sellers give strange names to the Amethyst to increase the price.
They want to hide the fake crystal by giving it a special name or increasing its price.
A good rock hunter should know the market names of the Amethyst.
If someone says he has a Bangali Amethyst, it should alert you because no such Amethyst exists.
It is a fake name by the seller to hide the fake crystal identity.
You can only buy from these sellers when you test the crystal and pay a regular price.
It is unsuitable to pay a high price because of the fancy names by the sellers.
10) To Tell if Amethyst Is Real, Check the Amethyst Grades
Before looking for the Amethyst grade, it is better to ensure you have the authentic crystal.
Grading does not apply to synthetic or chemically altered Amethyst crystals.
There are many factors to classify the crystals into different grades.
Color, clarity, number of imperfections, and size are some of the classifying factors.
Sellers use the same grading factors for the Amethyst and diamonds.
Natural AA
This type of Amethyst is the most common one because they comprise 75 percent of the Amethyst supply in the market.
They are not expensive as you can buy them from any jewelers on the street.
You can see imperfections in this grade with naked eyes.
These Amethyst crystals have a light purple color.
Natural AAA
You can find these Amethyst crystals at high-end jewelry outlets.
These crystals do not have visible inclusions; you need a magnifying glass to see the imperfections.
These crystals consist of 20 percent of the Amethyst in the market.
Natural AAAA
It is the highest grade, Amethyst. Less than 10 percent of Amethyst crystals in the market have this grading.
There are no imperfections that you can see with the naked eyes.
These crystals have a deep purple color.
It should have high value in all four domains of the crystal quality.
It should have a high-quality cut, clarity, color, and carat.