green amethyst

[ag3ntrbg]

I'm looking to purchase a green amethyst engagement ring and would love any help.
A few of the major websites I've come across are www.gemvara.com and www.allurez.com
Can any provide information into those websites/company in terms of how good their quality is?

Thanks!

*Please excuse any noob mistakes.

 

[GliderPoss]

Welcome! First I'd suggest you do some thorough research on "green amethyst" as I would not recommend it as a e-ring stone due to durability issues. If you love that particular colour green - why not look into green sapphires or certain types of garnet which will last longer with minimal damage. Best of luck.

 

[chrono]

Green amethyst belongs to the quartz family (same as regular purple amethyst) and is too soft for everyday wear, hence not a good candidate as an engagement ring stone. If you choose to go this route, expect to see chips and facet abrasion within a year of wear. Note that prasiolite or green amethyst is irradiated amethyst, if you are concerned about the type of treatment.

 

[ag3ntrbg]

Welcome! First I'd suggest you do some thorough research on "green amethyst" as I would not recommend it as a e-ring stone due to durability issues. If you love that particular colour green - why not look into green sapphires or certain types of garnet which will last longer with minimal damage. Best of luck.

Green amethyst belongs to the quartz family (same as regular purple amethyst) and is too soft for everyday wear, hence not a good candidate as an engagement ring stone. If you choose to go this route, expect to see chips and facet abrasion within a year of wear. Note that prasiolite or green amethyst is irradiated amethyst, if you are concerned about the type of treatment.

Thank you both so much for your reply and help - greatly appreciate it! While looking into the green amethyst gem myself I did come across the same bit of issues w/ the gem. Unfortunately, my SO is set on a green amethyst. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Would either of you have any insight to these websites? www.gemvara.com and www.allurez.com ?

 

[chrono]

As long as he is prepared to replace the stone regularly.... He is aware of the issues, right? I don't think both websites post pictures of the actual stone so who knows what they look like.

 

[ag3ntrbg]

As long as he is prepared to replace the stone regularly.... He is aware of the issues, right? I don't think both websites post pictures of the actual stone so who knows what they look like.

haha...so I'm a guy looking to buy for my female SO (whatever minor detail). My guess is she would mostly wear her wedding band to help save the wear and tear on the engagement ring itself seeing is that the gem is not the must durable.

would you happen to know if gems that are treated (in this case irradiated amethyst), that over time the gem starts to fade? Like the treatment wears off in any way and needs to be treated continuously over time to keep its color/shine/brightness??

 

[evergreen]

ag3, I think what a lot of the posters are getting at is that there are lots of reasons for choosing a green irradiated amethyst for an engagement ring. Maybe it's color, or maybe she loves amethyst/quartz itself for sentimental reasons, or maybe it's a stretch to get the enormous green stone she's expecting at your budget in any other species. If it's the latter two reasons, well, there isn't much we can do except help you find a beautiful green amethyst!

But if it's color - and this honestly seems the most likely, just playin' the odds! - maybe she doesn't realize that Montana sapphires come in EXACTLY that color, and would save you and her the heartache and expense of repeatedly replacing her center stone. This can damage the setting, and it definitely takes her ring away for days or even weeks at a time, and there are long stretches of time where the stone is abraded but not quite badly enough to replace yet so it's less pretty & sparkly... and if you are giving her a ring, wouldn't you and she want it to be something she can wear and show off proudly, without worrying about hastening its untimely end?

Since it sounds like you guys can talk about the details (you're not trying to keep things secret, which is how you know she 100% wants a green amethyst even though there are some major durability issues, because you guys have discussed this, right?), why not show her the Gemfix Montana sapphire page? There is a pretty wide range of prasiolite-like colors, and there are some really good reasons we're all pushing you to consider Montanas.

http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_montana.html

 

[chrono]

As long as she is aware of the care required I suppose she should get what she wants. Also note that it isn't always easy to get a replacement stone to fit an existing setting. Some irradiated gems fade when exposed to strong light but I think quartz is stable as long as they are not exposed to high temperatures.

 

[minousbijoux]

The good news is that if you were to go with green amethyst, with the exception of finding the precise dimensions to fit your existing ring, it will be easy and inexpensive (compared to other replacement stones) to replace the stone should it become worn or damaged.

 

[ag3ntrbg]

ag3, I think what a lot of the posters are getting at is that there are lots of reasons for choosing a green irradiated amethyst for an engagement ring. Maybe it's color, or maybe she loves amethyst/quartz itself for sentimental reasons, or maybe it's a stretch to get the enormous green stone she's expecting at your budget in any other species. If it's the latter two reasons, well, there isn't much we can do except help you find a beautiful green amethyst!

But if it's color - and this honestly seems the most likely, just playin' the odds! - maybe she doesn't realize that Montana sapphires come in EXACTLY that color, and would save you and her the heartache and expense of repeatedly replacing her center stone. This can damage the setting, and it definitely takes her ring away for days or even weeks at a time, and there are long stretches of time where the stone is abraded but not quite badly enough to replace yet so it's less pretty & sparkly... and if you are giving her a ring, wouldn't you and she want it to be something she can wear and show off proudly, without worrying about hastening its untimely end?

Since it sounds like you guys can talk about the details (you're not trying to keep things secret, which is how you know she 100% wants a green amethyst even though there are some major durability issues, because you guys have discussed this, right?), why not show her the Gemfix Montana sapphire page? There is a pretty wide range of prasiolite-like colors, and there are some really good reasons we're all pushing you to consider Montanas.

http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_montana.html

Thanks so much for the information - very helpful.
I will consider and look more into the Montana Sapphires. Can you suggest or recommend any other sites other than gemfix? Do you have any personal experience w/ gemfix? Thanks again!

 

[ag3ntrbg]

As long as she is aware of the care required I suppose she should get what she wants. Also note that it isn't always easy to get a replacement stone to fit an existing setting. Some irradiated gems fade when exposed to strong light but I think quartz is stable as long as they are not exposed to high temperatures.

Thank you! I was wondering what could potentially hurt the stone other than wear and tear. Good to know that if exposed to strong light it could fade - exactly the type of information I was looking for. Also good to know that a replacement stone may not be easy w/ the current setting.

The good news is that if you were to go with green amethyst, with the exception of finding the precise dimensions to fit your existing ring, it will be easy and inexpensive (compared to other replacement stones) to replace the stone should it become worn or damaged.

Really appreciate the input! I'm in way over my head w/ this type of stuff - so very thankful for any help. Can you suggest some specific places you may have shopped or may know of to buy the green amethyst stone/gem? Thanks!

 

[evergreen]

I've never bought from Gemfix, but they are well regarded on this board. They're local to you if you're in Southern California (San Diego). I've seen a fair amount of feedback that their photos tend to make stones look more saturated than IRL, but prasiolite tends not to be a particularly saturated stone, so I imagine if you did try a Montana it would be no less saturated than what you should expect for prasiolite.

I don't know if he has prasiolite rough, but Jerry at Gemart Services does cut a lot of quartz, and beautifully, too! See http://www.gemartservices.com/ for his work in amethyst and citrine.

Alternatively, it may be smart to go with a generic, calibrated prasiolite so you can replace it more easily. AfricaGems has some fans on this board, and they do sell calibrated prasiolite: http://www.africagems.com/green-quartz.html An 8mm round is $26, so even if you were to buy 20 for a couple decades of replacement you'd still not break the bank.

By the way - I hadn't realized that "green amethyst" is an ambiguous term, and that there are some highly saturated synthetic quartz stones that also are available, vs the "prasiolite" (a light greyish or olive green) we have been thinking about. Check http://www.gemselect.com/other-info/green-amethyst.php for disambiguation!

 

[VirginiaZee]

For a Montana I'd probably contact these folks http://blazengems.com/retail/shop/index.php?main_page=indexand ask about both rough and cut stones. Regarding the rough, one word of caution - the color might (probably will) change from the rough to the cut gem. Jerry at http://www.gemartservices.com/for-sale.html could probably tell you more about that, and help you with cutting the rough.

I know someone else on the board (sorry, my memory isn't serving me well at the moment regarding who it was!) got a Montana sapphire from Peter Torraca as well http://www.torraca.net/.