Amazonite Buying Guide

by Shewata Dhanuka

When buying Amazonite gem, first check for luster. The surface of the gem should be bright and shinning. It consists of vitreous luster that separates it from all other green coloured gems. The stone is opaque and translucent in nature. As it is opaque, clarity is difficult to be judged and also it does not weigh much importance.

Amazonite, the name is derived from the Amazon river, although it is not procured from the river. It is also called as Amazonstone. The composition of Amazonite is Potassium aluminosilicate [KAlSi3O8] and is found in igneous rock. It belongs to feldspar family and referred as Microcline. It occurs in crystal forms in large sizes.

Since 19th century United States is the major producer of the gemstone. It is also found in Brazil, Italy, Canada and Ural Mountain of Russia. The quality of this semi precious gemstone with respect to purity and vibrant colour, is best obtained from United States. Other countries that offer Amazonite are East Siberia, Ukraine, Middle Asia and North Karelia.

When buying Amazonite gem, first check for luster. The surface of the gem should be bright and shinning. It consists of vitreous luster that separates it from all other green coloured gems. The stone is opaque and translucent in nature. As it is opaque, clarity is difficult to be judged and also it does not weigh much importance. However, usually all the stones of this semi precious variety possess deep clarity.

Rough Amazonite Video

After the luster, colour is a crucial characteristic to be checked before buying a true stone. This bright luster gemstone occurs in different shades of green to blue-green. The most common colour is bluish green while pure green colour is very rare. The green colour appears due to the presence of lead impurity in the composition. Any colour shade of the stone may not be evenly spread throughout the surface. Colour patches on the surface of the gem could be visible in few gemstones. Amazonite also consists of white streaks / white lines within its structure. These white lines, visible by naked eyes are called as perthitic texture. Few gemstone collectors treasure these lines a lot and prefer amazonite possessing the same.

Amazonite is cut into various shapes and styles due to its simple cleavage like heart, square, oval, round etc. Cabochon is the most popular shape. This unique property makes the gemstone quite in demand among the jewelry designers. It is paired with other semi precious stones to create amazing ornaments. In west, this gemstone is not only used for making jewelry items but also for making decorative items such as attractive chandeliers, vases, lampshade, decorative boxes, candle holder etc.

On an average this gemstone is priced moderately as it is available in large quantity. However, the price difference between two amazonite stones would be due to the difference in size, carat weight, colour, luster and originality. Larger the size more will be the price and vice versa. Larger stones give a rich and authentic look to the jewelry items. Next is carat weight. Increase in carat weight would also increase the price of the gemstone. Being, an affordable semi precious stone, gemstone lovers prefer wearing high carat weight stone in finger rings and earrings that is single stone weighing between 3-5 carat.

Similarly, the cost of the gemstone increases with the brightness of the colour and luster. More intense the colour and luster, more valuable the gem becomes in terms of money. Pure green coloured gemstone is rarely found hence, fetches maximum price. White lines present in green coloured Amazonite are further more valuable. Lastly, buyers should always look for natural gemstone. Natural stones are priced more than the synthetic and treated gemstones. If the gemstone is natural, possess rare green colour with white streaks and is large, high carat weight with vitreous luster then it would cost the maximum. The cost would come down when one or more than one of these characteristics are missing.

Inspite of being quite affordable, few dealers sell some other stones as Amazonite. It is often confused with other semi precious stone Jade. Amazon jade is the name commonly used to mislead the innocent buyers. One also has to be careful from cheap imitations and synthesized stones. However, it is even used as a substitute for the precious gemstone Emerald and semi precious gemstone Turquoise.

Apart from the gemstone, it is largely used in form of beads and cameos for different jewelry items. Many females around the world wear plain amazonite beads string in form of a necklace. Beads possess bright colour thus, offer grace and sophisticated look to the ornaments. It might even consist of white lines that further enhance the appearance of the jewelry.

While making the purchase of beads always take care of few things. The colour and luster should be as bright and intense as in Amazonite gemstones. White lines if present then it should be balanced in all the beads. Good colour offers harmonious look to the necklace and long earrings. All the beads in the strings should be evenly shaped. Size of the hole of the bead should be large enough to get into a strong double/triple thread. Not a single bead should not be cracked or chipped from the hole else it might slowly tear the thread and valuable beads can be lost. Finally, make sure the length of the strand is not less as promised by the seller. Sometimes, buyers end up paying the price of 16 inch strand and take away only 15 inch or 14 inch strand. Therefore, always check for the length before leaving the seller’s premises.

Like all other gemstone, Amazonite gems and beads should be protected from sharp blows and scratches. It measures 6 Mohs on the hardness scale. Jewelry boxes lined with soft cloth or cotton must be used for storing gemstone and respective ornaments. For cleaning, only mild soap water should be used. After cleaning, the gemstone and its jewelry items, must be wiped off with a soft cloth in such a way that no moisture is left behind.

For generations, Amazonite is considered to possess many metaphysical properties. Few to mention are – it is believed to heal mental and physical problems. It is also said that the wearer of this gem develops many soft skills like effective communication, self – expression and public speaking. It also enhances intuition power, creativity and intellect. The stone is responsible to relieve stress, fear, anxiety and exhaustion. It is associated with heart chakra and throat chakra thus dispels erratic and negative energies. Across the globe people wear this gemstone to balance all the charkas and attain peace at heart and mind.

Apart for these metaphysical properties, Amazonite is considered as lucky ” Hope Stone”. This implies that the wearer of this gemstone gets positive dreams and turns hopeful towards life. So if one wants their luck to favor them then they should try wearing this bluish green gemstone. Do give a thought !!