FINE JEWELLERY, WATCHES, SILVER & COINS 22nd October 2025 at 12pm

6 Amethyst is one of the most valued of the quar tz family for its rich purple colour.The more prized and therefore the more expensive are deep bluish-purple clean stones with good cut –more heavily included stones are of lower quality. Fashioned specimens can be found with colour zoning in straight stripes and angular patterns and are characteristic of amethyst in ribbon-like rows of par tially healed inclusions known as ‘tiger’ or ‘zebra’ stripes in the trade. Made up of silicon dioxide atoms, also known as silica, quar tz is the most abundant single mineral found on or in the ear th’s crust and in its pure form is colourless. However, amethyst, is less abundant therefore a fine coloured example of a good size is relatively rare. Getting its colour from iron, the more levels or iron resulting in the depth of the purple colour. Amethyst may be heated to produce citrine or sometimes a transparent green quar tz called prasiolite. It is commonly found in geodes, with only terminations of the crystals being purple and the remaining material being colourless.The most impor tant commercial deposits are in Brazil, Bolivia, India, Madagascar, Nambia, Russia (Siberia), Sri Lanka, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Russia was the major source until the 19th c. when large deposits were found in Brazil. Specimens from Brazil tend to be lighter in colour. Its relatively large single crystalline crystals, make it popular with jewellery lovers and crystal collectors alike.The large crystals mean that faceted specimens and carvings can be found in large carat weights.And the abundance of both where amethyst is found across the globe and the abundance within those deposits mean that it has been a popular gemstone for thousands of years. LIVE AUCTION OF FINE JEWELLERY, WATCHES, SILVER & COINS • WEDNESDAY, 22nd OCT 2025 AT 12PM