POLISHED BRAZILIAN AMETHYST

Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (SiO2) and owes its violet color to natural irradiation, iron impurities, and the presence of trace elements, which result in complex crystal lattice substitutions. Much of the world’s amethyst comes from extensive deposits insSouthern Brazil and Uruguay that have been heavily mined for about a century. The amethyst there occurs in large cavities or geodes within volcanic rocks and the coloration and crystal size can vary greatly.