Your Questions About Ametrine | Sparkling Diamonds and Gemstones

Sparkling Diamonds and Gemstones

Rubies, Emeralds, Diamonds and More

Your Questions About Ametrine

September 14th, 2011 by Diamond Lover

Laura asks…

True/False : Ametrine is purple.

***Geology Question***

I was asked this question on an exam. The problem is, ametrine is partially purple, and partially orange-yellow.

So does being partially purple make the statement, "Ametrine is purple." a true statement?

I am no logician, but here is my explanation:
If being partially purple makes ametrine purple, then being partially orange would make it orange.
You can't be two colors at once so I say the statement is false.

90% of my geology class disagree with me, and my head is spinning.

Anyone have a better explanation?

Diamond Lover answers:

I can see your confusion because Ametrine, by definition, is a multi-colored stone. if the crystal you find is 100% purple - it is not ametrine... On the other hand, ametrine must contain some purple color, but not 100% purple...

So the geology question of "Is Ametrine purple" is true, because in this example the quality of purple is not defined. It is purple (partially)...

It is also yellowish to orange. It is also hard, It is also a crystal. Amertrine has many properties which all can be called true by themselves. A better true/false statement would have been "Ametrine contains purple - true or false."

If you are still confused think of a tiger. Is a tiger orange? Yes, that is true (generally speaking). Is a tiger striped? Yes, that is true. So a tiger is orange and striped? Yes, that is also true... So when talking of tigers there are three true statements we can make - orange, striped and both orange and striped. This is the same with ametrine...

Here is more about ametrine from wikipedia.

"Ametrine, also known as trystine or by its trade name as bolivianite, is a naturally occurring variety of quartz. It is a mixture of amethyst and citrine with zones of purple and yellow or orange. Almost all commercially available ametrine is mined in Bolivia, although there are deposits being exploited in Brazil and India.

The colour of the zones visible within ametrine are due to differing oxidation states of iron within the crystal. The different oxidation states occur due to there being a temperature gradient across the crystal during its formation.

Artificial ametrine can be created by differential heat treatment of amethyst."

Nancy asks…

Does Ametrine ever need to be cleansed of negative energies?

There is a woman I work with who claims to be Wicca and knows a lot about crystals and energies. I accidentally dropped my Ametrine at work and without my knowing she took it home with her (I was going crazy trying to find it). When she gave it back to me she said that I “have to do some serious cleansing on it” and that she “held it in her hand and it got fire hot” cause it was so full of negative energies. I tried to tell her that I really don’t think Ametrine absorbs negative energies like that, but she was insistent. I have looked everywhere and I cannot find anything that says I need to do this. Also since I have had it with me I have never felt better. I sleep better, I haven’t had any panic attacks since I’ve had it and many other positive effects. I would think that if I carried something around like she is saying I would feel the negative effects from it. Anyhoo… I just need to know if this is true, that Ametrine does need to be cleansed.

Thank you for your response : )

Diamond Lover answers:

Yes all crystals should be cleansed including Ametrine. There are many ways to do it put it back in the earth for a while, hold under running water, moonlite or sunlight. How you do it depends on the crystal as an example you do not want to put rose quartz in sunlight as it will cause the color to pale.

Paul asks…

ametrine stone?

Still wondering about a non-diamond engagement ring... First of all, what do you generally think about engagement rings that are colored, or aren't a diamond?

Diamond Lover answers:

For those unfamiliar with ametrine....amethysts and citrines are members of the quartz family and are often found together.....sometimes the amethyst and citrine's grow into each other as they are forming so you end up with a stone with both fused together......

So if you like exotic stones, amethysts and citrines...you get the best of all with this gemstone.

As far as non-diamond engagement ring... Why not? A friend of mine was given yellow gold bypass ring with her birthstone and his birthstone, each heart shaped, accented by a swirl of round diamonds... different, unique, full of sentimentality and meaning.......

In this case diamonds were used as accents, but you don't have to do that. many women and men prefer gemstones of color. I recently gave my wife a solitaire ring with the exotic stone prasiolite or 'green amethyst.' This is a pale clear minty green stone like fresh spring water flowing over ice. And like your ametrine, it's in the same gem family... quartz.

The value of a stone is not in how much it costs... which is often send not by how rare it is, but the demand for it... In the case of diamonds, which are common stones... almost all diamond mines of gemstone variety are in the control of the De Beer's cartel, so they can set any price they want......

You want an exotic...I say go for it! Learn it's proper care and it can last for a lifetime & beyond... wonderful and different is the ametrine...

By the way, I've seen those stones in settings of both yellow & white gold.....either way they are striking to look at, especially when on the hand, the light moves thru them and they look like they are changing color, which they aren't...