Amethyst Vs Purple Quartz (Simplified)
Amethyst is indeed quartz - purple quartz to be exact, so then why does it have such a fancy name? That's because...
Are Amethyst And Quartz The Same?
Amethyst and Quartz
Now if I was a good blogger I'd bury this answer at the bottom of the post...
But I'm not.
The answer is that yes, amethyst and quartz belong to the same family.
And yes, amethysy is the exact same thing as purple quartz.
But hey, keep scrolling for some cool pictures!
What is Quartz?
Quartz Unicorn
At this point in your crystal collecting career you probably know what Quartz is.
In case you don't here's a quick science refresher for you but feel free to go ahead and skip to the next paragraph.
Quartz is an igneous rock made up of oxygen and silicon atoms that crystallizes around magma or hydrothermal vents.
It's one of the most common types of rock found in the continental crust and comes in two flavors:
Alpha quartz and Beta quartz.
Which type of quartz crystal forms depends on how fast it cooled down.
Some quarts may cool down and have very tiny crystals.
While other kinds of quartz will have very big crystals.
Crystals of other minerals can cause quartz to appear differently when they're mixed together.
If quartz is combined with a small amount of iron for example, it will appear pink or purplish.
Amethysts, aka purple quartz, are usually purple but sometimes they're white.
Is There Such Thing As Purple Quartz?
Amethyst Unicorn
Another quick science review.
Put simply, Amethyst is any type of quartz crystal that has a light to medium purple hue.
Purple-colored quartz crystals are formed by radiation, impurities, and either transitional or trace elements which help form a complex crystal lattice structure.
Amethyst has the same level of hardiness as quartz because it IS quartz.
Its hardness makes it good for making jewellery.
Amethysts typically show a variety of colors ranging from light pink to deep violet, with deep violet being the most valuable.
Since these stones are almost the same, they share similar physical properties.
Amethyst has a different appearance than quartz because it contains less silica.
Because they look similar, quartz and amethyst often get confused.
All amethysts are quartz, but not all quarts are purple.
Kind of like the whole square / rectangle thing we learned in elementary school.
How Do You Tell Amethyst From Quartz?
Amethyst and Quartz 2
The easiest way to tell if an object is amethyst is by looking at its color.
Real amethysts will have some kind of coloring, but they won't be completely purple.
Amethyst crystals also have shades of red and blue, but they're not quite as bright as ruby crystals.
After considering their crystal clearness, it's important to think about whether they're good quality or not.
If you examine the crystals under a microscope, you shouldn't see any air pockets inside them.
When there is pressure and temperature, quartz creates threads.
If you notice any bubbles in the stone it might not be an authentic amethyst.
If you hold an amethyst gemstone up to the sun, you should be able see through the stone without any bubbles.
You'll usually see amethyst stones cut into shapes like heart shapes and circles like the pictures in this post.
Amethyst is often used for jewelry because it is easy to shape and creates beautiful designs.
Like crystals, gemstones are examined for clarity and color.
It has a Mohs hardness rating of 7, so you won't be able to scratch it with anything harder than a 7 but will get scratched by 8s and 9s.
Be careful when buying amethyst jewelry because some people may use fancy words to describe their amethyst jewelry.
Fake amethysts are often called "Japanese" or "Desert" amethysts.
These names aren't really real, but they're used by marketers to trick people into believing they're getting something special when they purchase them.
How Expensive is Purple Quartz?
Prices will vary greatly depending on the quality of the stones, whether they're cut or uncut, and the grade of each individual piece.
However, amethyst is also commonly found, so its price is quite reasonable.
A quick etsy search shows them for around $20 USD for a really nice sized stone.
And, the price of good quality gemstones will increase significantly when they're set into rings and necklaces.
If an medium sized amethyst goes for less than $20, it might not be genuine.
Where is Amethyst Found?
Quartz Butterfly
The better questions is actually "Where is amethsyt NOT found" because it's everywhere!
Name a country, it's probably got amethyst.
Amethyst is found all around the world, like India, Brazil, Madagascar, Mexico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia, China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt.
Oh we can totally keep going though!
Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Chad, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
Okay okay you get the point.
Pick a country, it has purple quartz.
Pick another one of our articles, it might also have purple quartz.
