what color is amethyst

Amethyst is a purple variety of the quartz mineral species. Its color can range from a light lilac to a deep, intense royal purple, and from brownish to vivid. The most prized amethyst is transparent and exhibits an intense, uniform, purple color with red flashes. The lighter lilac or lavender variety is often called Rose de France amethyst. Amethyst can also commonly show color zoning, which usually consists of angular zones of darker to lighter color. The finest amethyst color is a strong reddish purple or purple with no visible color zoning. Dealers prefer strongly saturated reddish purple to dark purple, as long as the stone is not so dark that it reduces brightness. Any brownish or bronze-colored tints in an amethyst’s purple color, or any noticeable color zoning, lower its value dramatically. In general, the darker the purple color, the better, unless the amethyst is so dark that it looks black in low light.