Vibrant Colors of Amazonite
1st November 2019
Amazonite takes its name from the Amazon River, however, the stone is not found by its sides. Some sources are located in other areas of Brazil and in different parts of the world such as Colorado, Afghanistan, Russia & Madagascar. Its name describe its blue, green or turquoise hues that can either be light pastel or very vibrant. This mesmerizing color is due to the presence of lead and water in the stone.
It is a mineral part of the feldspar family, it is mostly composed of potassium, has a vitreous lustre and a hardness of 6 on Mohs scale. Because of its low hardness, the stone can easily be scratched, this is also a reason why it is not so frequently used in jewellery.
Amazonite Textures
Most of the time, amazonite appears with white or yellowish inclusions that come from the presence of quartz. These “white veins” can create interesting patterns and gives the effect of movement in the stone just like streaming water.
This feldspar stone usually has a strong opaque body, but some rare exceptions can also be translucent.
Amazonite was already used 2000 years ago and archeologist found it in many Egyptian jewels, often combined with carnelian and lapis lazuli.
It is known as being the “hope” stone, its bright color gives energy and brings luck to the wearer.
Amazonite Rough Stone
Because of its fragility, amazonite should be set in bezel to prevent from impacts and reduce the risk of scratches and cracks. However, it is mostly used as beads or cut in cabochon. It is very rarely used in jewellery, in fact, just a few brands are using it for “accessible range” of jewels. Tiffany obviously appreciates the stone for its color that perfectly represents the brand. Fernando Jorge, a Brazilian and avant-garde jeweller integrates amazonite in many of his creations and likes to combine it with topaz, tourmaline and emerald.
Different Types of Amazonites.
As a side stone, amazonite can play the role of the contrasting gemstone in terms of colors and opacity. Amazonite can also bring more vitality and light to the creation, it harmoniously matches with greyish blue jadeite as well as lapis lazuli, turquoise and tourmaline.
Amazonite Creations. Legends on pictures.