Caring For Amethyst Jewelry

A member of the Quartz family, Amethyst is its most highly valued and recognizable gemstone. This transparent, purple gemstone is widely regarded as the most beautiful form of quartz. One of the best-known uses of Amethyst is in jewelry. As purple is regarded as the color of royalty, Amethyst is perfect for use in royal jewelry. It has been widely used in the Crown Jewels of England and was also found in the jewelry of ancient Egyptians.

 

Amethyst is due to the presence of manganese in quartz. The darker colored Amethyst is more valuable and is usually referred to as Siberian. The paler purple gemstone is known as Rose de France. Amethyst is mined in Africa, Australia and some parts of South America. The South American Amethyst is larger in size, but the African gem is known for its darker colors in smaller sizes. It is also found in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, but the quality is not acceptable for use in jewelry.

 

 

Amethyst Jewelry - Care and Cleaning

Fine Amethyst jewelry can last a lifetime. All it needs is proper care and cleaning. Cleaning your fine Amethyst jewelry is one way of keeping it bright and shinning, as it was on the day you first purchased it. Amethyst is fairly durable but still needs proper care:

 

* Clean your Amethyst jewelry regularly to remove the oil and soap film that distracts from its beauty.

 

* Remove your Amethyst jewelry while exercising or playing sports. Your gemstone can be chipped or be jarred loose.

 

* Before wearing your jewelry, check for loose Amethyst.

 

* Avoid wearing jewelry during housework. Contact with household chemicals, specially ammonia-based, may discolor or damage your jewelry.

 

* Never store your jewelry in piles or together. This is to avoid scratching the Amethyst in your jewelry as well as the metal mounting. Harder gemstones, such as diamonds, can scratch Amethyst.

 

 

* Store your precious Amethyst jewelry in separate sections of the jewelry box or wrap them separately in soft cloths.

 

* Do not wear your jewelry in swimming pools and on beaches. The chlorine in the pool and the seawater can harm and discolor the Amethyst in your jewelry.

 

* Gold and sterling silver, the metals used with amethyst in jewelry have low hardness, from 2.5 to 4 on the Moh's scale. Special care is needed to ensure they are not damaged and dented. Sterling silver being very soft can easily be marred by even fingernails.

 

* Do not soak your jewelry for extended periods in soap or other such solutions. It may harm the polish of your gemstone.

 

 

 * Never ever use chlorine bleach to clean Amethyst jewelry.

 

* Never use toothpaste to clean your Amethyst jewelry. The abrasives in your toothpaste could mar the shine on Amethyst and the mounted metal.

 

If you do not want to risk cleaning your precious jewelry yourself, you can always have it cared for by a jeweler. There is no reason to believe that with care you may not be able to enjoy your Amethyst jewelry lifelong.