This Week's Obsession: The Colour Purple
The Number 1 Fine Jewellery Trend for 2022 is Kaleidoscopic Colour and the colour purple has become very popular in fine jewellery; and many times that colour comes from adding amethyst, this month's birthstone, to the design.
As people around the world become more and more passionate about colour and the desire to convey deep messages and meaning to the world, designers and brands are trying to facilitate this. To help jewellery lovers who are searching for colourful pieces with a rich purple hue there are a few options. Many enamels pieces can pass for almost any colour no matter who treats it.
Purple gemstones have long been adored, and for good reason. There’s something about purple that intrigues people, and the colour is often associated with royalty, wealth, passion, power, luxury, ambition and magic! You may have noticed that our brand colour is a dark purple and that is because of purple's connotation of being regal. The perfect colour for a luxury brand.
While naturally occurring, purple gemstones are very rare, there are a few interesting and beautiful stones that have been found in this enigmatic hue.
Historically, purple gemstones have been renowned for having deeply spiritual powers that help the stone’s owners heal from various ailments. Purple gemstones are also thought to have an effect on mindset and are believed to inspire clarity in one’s thoughts.
Of course, as with any gemstone, the hues of purple vary from stone to stone and no two gems are alike. While gorgeous variants of purple like lavender, lilac and mauve are more commonly found, it’s the deepest colours that are most rare, and as a result, the most expensive variants of gemstones that one can find.
Here is the list of purple gemstones:
Purple diamond, iolite, amethyst, purple sapphire, purple tourmaline and purple jasper stone.
Amethyst
Because amethyst is the birthstone of this month and it is by far the most common answer to those searching for jewellery with a rich purple hue we will focus on it here. Amethyst is one of the rare stones that can appear in high jewellery, but can still be found in affordable pieces.
Amethyst is the purple variety of the quartz mineral species. It’s the gem that’s most commonly associated with the colour purple, even though there are other purple gems such as sapphire and tanzanite. Its purple colour can be cool and bluish, or a reddish purple that’s sometimes referred to as “raspberry”.
The word amethyst makes most people think of a dark purple gem, amethyst actually occurs in many purple colours. The purple colour can be so light that it is barely perceptible or so dark that it is nearly opaque. It can be reddish purple, purple, or violetish purple. Amethyst exists in this wide range of colours.
Many people don't realise that amethyst was as expensive as ruby and emerald until the 19th Century, when Brazil’s large deposits were discovered. It was believed to prevent intoxication—amethystos means “not drunk” in ancient Greek. Today, as the most valued quartz variety, amethyst is in demand for designer pieces and mass-market jewellery alike, and its purple to pastel hues retain wide consumer appeal.
People have collected gem materials for thousands of years and marvelled over their beauty. Through time and in all parts of the world, many people have believed that gem materials have the ability to heal, protect, or comfort a person who owns or wears them.
Amethyst is the gem traditionally given for the sixth wedding anniversary. Wear it in celebration of your wedding nuptials or as your February birthstone and you’ll be in royal company: Catherine the Great (Empress Catherine II of Russia, 1729–1796) had a penchant for the gem and decked herself in amethyst necklaces, earrings and other ornaments. The famous jewellery connoisseur Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (1896–1986), made a memorable statement when she wore a lavish Cartier-designed amethyst bib necklace to a gala in Versailles in 1953.
Even though there is no scientific evidence that gemstones have any healing or spiritual power, many people persist in these beliefs. Today, amethyst is one of the most popular "healing stones." Millions of dollars per year are spent on amethyst crystals, tumbled stones, beads and other amethyst items for use in these practice.
Fun Fact:
Amethysts were also important to Victorian jewelers because of their role in acrostic rings, in which the first letters of the names of gemstones would be arranged to spell our words like DEAREST (diamond, emerald, amethyst, ruby, emerald, sapphire, topaz). In other pieces such as brooches, a large faceted amethyst would be surrounded by an oval of smaller amethysts.
Our favourites purple gems for co-ownership, amethyst.
Ouroboros Pick Your Poison Amethyst Pendant
Zeemou Zeng Melody Cocktail Ring
Our favourite purple gemstones for subscription:
Le Ster Summer's Light Earrings with purple jade
Eva Gems & Jewels Out of the Blue Earrings with purple sapphire
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