Amethyst Marquise Faceted Gemstone

This marquise-cut amethyst features a lively, attractive purple color saturation that complements a variety of metal colors and gemstones. Use it by itself for simple earring or ring designs, or highlight the color by pairing it with contrasting-color gemstones to create more complex, multicolor designs. Amethyst is the birthstone for February. Amethyst is the best known and most valuable form of quartz. The light-to-dark purple color of natural amethyst is caused by iron or manganese compound impurities in the mineral and can range from a watercolor pale pink to a dark, almost opaque, purple. a single gemstone will often show color zoning—angular zones of light and dark colors. Also called a "navette" cut, the marquise cut features pointed ends and an elongated shape. Its faceting is a variation of the brilliant cut, designed to maximize the play of light within the gemstone.