yellow amethyst vs heat treated amethyst

Yellow amethyst vs heat treated amethyst how to#

When washing your favorite crystal a quick rinse can be all it needs to restore its luster, but remember what happens to the sink? The same could happen with your stone if you have “hard water” like Geode and myself. These deposits are the minerals left behind when the water evaporates. Why Can Minerals in Tap Water Change the Color of Amethyst?ĭo you have patches of water that dry white in your sinks or shower? This is especially visible on metallic surfaces. While convenient, the high exposure to UV makes them not ideal for sanitizing your amethyst. New devices that have been gaining some popularity are UV sanitizers. Short, limited exposure will minimize any changes in your amethyst for the next century. Alternatively, you can limit the amount of time the display cases are lit to special occasions. It is wise to ensure that those specific crystals will not fade over time with exposure to light. Because of this, if you have lights in your display cases, consider the rocks and crystals you store in them carefully. This includes LEDs, as researchers from Le Comptoir Geologique found. While having the sunlight shine through your gems and crystals looks phenomenal, amethyst is not alone when it comes to reacting with light and UV. It may be getting more light during the day than you realize. If you ever find your amethyst losing color, check where you are keeping it. Firstly, never store your rocks or crystal collection next to a window. There are several steps you can take to protect your amethyst from the sunlight and UV exposure. Photo by Rémi Bornet from Le Comptoir Géologique. “NEVER use UV cleaning devices on amethyst! They can fade your amethyst over time.” Joshua Solberg, Gemologist & Geologist This can lead to unexpected changes of color in your stone. Over time and with repeated exposure, the same process of electron swapping between the iron and oxygen elements occur. While typically beautiful, they are a double edged sword as any sunlight passing through contains UV rays.

When areas form, they can change the wavelength of light to make a different color. Color centers are atomic defects within the stone’s crystal structure that filter light a little differently.

One such special feature is called a color center. Virtually all gems and crystals have what some refer to as characteristics or fingerprints. The natural purple color of amethyst is defined as a wavelength (545 nm), which is the predominant one of many wavelengths in amethyst’s color band. Sunlight and UV work in a similar way to heat when changing the color of amethyst. Why Does Sunlight (UV) Change the Color of Amethyst? Table and image comparing heat treatment temperature to resulting color. The higher the temperatures and longer the exposure to heat, the more electrons that are swapped, resulting in more dramatic color shifts. They discovered that the iron and the oxygen atoms within the crystal swap electrons and this is what changes the amethyst’s color. So, why do high temperatures cause amethyst to change color? In 2020, Renping Cheng & Ying Guo tested the idea that these color changes weren’t actually because of a true chemical reaction. Heat treatments are done intentionally to change the color of the amethyst for aesthetic purposes. Amethyst will turn from purple to yellow, orange, brown, white, and sometimes even a pale green. Amethyst can be exposed to high temperatures for several hours, known as a heat treatment. Some people may choose to heat their amethyst with the intention of altering its color hue. Why do Heat Treatments Change the Color of Amethyst?

Yellow amethyst vs heat treated amethyst how to#

Read with me a bit further to explore why this happens and learn how to protect your amethyst from these culprits. “But I love my amethyst, the color is just perfect the way it is!”. Stop your amethyst from changing color or fading by avoiding heat treatments, limit time spent in sun or UV light, and never clean amethyst with hard tap water. There are three reasons that amethyst changes color or fades: heat treatments, sunlight (UV), and water containing certain minerals. Now I am the wife of a geologist and will explain when and why amethyst changes color and how to prevent it! It was in my early collecting days that I noticed my amethyst beginning to change color and fade.