Once it hits direct sunlight, it will start to lose its purple color because sunlight is a form of radiation as well. Amethyst gets its color from trace amounts of iron, and its builds up color as the gem soaks up the radiation in the lower levels of the Earth. Amethyst may lose its color in direct sunlightĪn important factor for amethyst’s color is radiation. So in short, purple sapphire is a far more durable choice for a purple gemstone, especially if you want to wear the gem every day, such as an engagement ring or a very sentimental pendant. But in practice, the lower the hardness the faster the gem gets cloudy and the more trips you have to make to a jeweler for a re-polish. In theory all gemstones at 7 or above on the Mohs scale are fit for daily wear. We don’t recommend wearing amethyst every day, as it will scratch and chip far easier that purple sapphire. This is because amethyst is a type of quartz, which is a fairly soft gem. So a purple sapphire will hold up to wear and tear perfectly and will not show any scratches until you scratch it with something stronger, like a diamond.Īmethyst is a far softer gemstone, scoring a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. Moissanite scores a 9.5 while diamonds score a perfect 10, for comparison. A purple sapphire has a Mohs hardness rating of 9 out of 10, which is very tough. Purple sapphire is a stronger gemstone that amethyst, and this matters a lot when deciding how to mount the gemstone and how to wear it. Purple sapphire is a harder gemstone than amethyst Now let’s take a look at the comparison between purple sapphire and amethyst, see how they compare. But since a very large deposit was found in Brazil about a century ago, it has become much more common and lost its cardinal title. This gem owes its purple hues to trace amounts of iron, and you can find it in various shades from the palest lavender to the deepest purple, with undertones of either red or blue.Īmethyst was originally one of the 5 cardinal gemstones, along with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, and was regarded as a precious gem. Purple sapphires are just as strong and impressive as blue sapphires but simply have a different color.Īmethyst is a variety of quartz, the purple-violet variety to be very specific. Purple sapphire is a variety of sapphire (corundum) that owes its purple color to trace amounts of chromium (which makes ruby red), and a combination of titanium and iron(which makes sapphires blue). So let’s take a look at each gem in particular, and then compare the two. And finally amethyst sells for far less than purple sapphire, so it would be a more affordable gemstone and easier to replace if you ever needed to because purple sapphire is harder to find than amethyst.īoth gems show great purple colors and choosing just one is not easy. Amethyst also tends to lose its color when exposed to direct sunlight for several weeks, while purple sapphire retains its color even after repeated sunlight exposure. Purple sapphire is a far stronger and harder gemstone than amethyst, so it’s much better for daily wear than amethyst.
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