Color : Light to dark purple
Hardness : 7

Amethyst is one of the most popular gems. Amethyst is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina in South America and Zambia, Namibia, and other African countries. Generally, amethyst from South America tends to be available in larger sizes than African amethyst but amethyst from Africa has the reputation for having better, more saturated, color in small sizes. Very dark amethyst, mostly in small sizes, is also mined in Australia.