Material
Purple quartz
Amethyst names the purple colour variety of quartz. Colour depth, clarity and habit vary from crystal to crystal.
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Stone Explorer Amethyst comparison tool
Compare amethyst, side by side.
Compare five natural quartz records at full size, then follow one geological route from open cavity to purple crystal.
In our shop: all amethyst pieces →
File 020 · Five natural appearance records
Two ways in · pick one
Each specimen opens its own file.
How to read the wall
One mineral family. Different naming levels.
A photograph can describe colour, zoning and habit. It cannot establish a mine, treatment history or geological setting for another stone.
Pattern
Zoning and banding
Chevron and ametrine describe visible arrangements within quartz, not separate mineral species.
Boundary
Trade name or occurrence
Prasiolite needs a clear treatment statement. Pink Amethyst is safest when tied to a documented occurrence.
Sources and image credits
Follow the name back to the evidence.
General sources establish quartz and amethyst. Occurrence studies support narrower names, while photographs remain examples rather than proof about another stone. For the wider material foundation, read the Amethyst Complete Guide.
GIA · AmethystMaterial · colour · care
- Use
- Amethyst as purple quartz, plus a careful boundary between visible colour and origin claims.
- Read
- Amethyst description · Care and cleaning
Mineralogical Magazine · Amethyst environmentsFormation · sample scope
- Use
- Amethyst from more than one geological environment and the fluid-inclusion evidence used to study those settings.
- Read
- Fluid inclusions in amethyst quartz from Brazil
GIA and occurrence studies · Narrow namesAmetrine · green quartz · pink quartz
- Use
- Bicolour quartz, natural green quartz and the occurrence-specific Pink Amethyst record.
- Read
- GIA Ametrine · Green quartz study · Pink Amethyst occurrence
Five appearance imagesReference scope · credits
- Photographs
- Amethyst · Arenamontanus, CC BY 2.0; Ametrine · Géry PARENT, public domain; Prasiolite · John Collins, CC0; Pink Amethyst · Géry PARENT, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Chevron
- An illustrative specimen reference made for this comparison; it is not a catalogued specimen or a BE. lot.
- Limit
- Each image explains one appearance record. It does not identify another stone or establish its provenance.
Questions about Stone Explorer
What is amethyst?
Amethyst names the purple colour variety of quartz. Colour depth, clarity and habit vary from crystal to crystal.
Which quartz records can I compare?
Amethyst, Chevron, Ametrine, Prasiolite and Pink Amethyst.
What do chevron and ametrine describe?
Chevron and ametrine describe visible arrangements within quartz.