Amazing purple gemstones! Do you like purple gemstones?
How do you choose the colors for your gemstones?
Do you look for something similar to what a friend of yours has?
Do you go for more common colors, such as blue, green, and red? These are all present in dozens of gemstones.
Or do you think outside the box?
Do you think about what the color represents?
Is purple one of your favorite colors? It can be bold and vibrant, but it can also be soft and refined.
And when you wear purple gemstones, you’re sure to start a conversation.
You’ll be wearing something at least a bit rare, since there aren’t as many gemstones in purple as in other colors.
However, are there an adequate number of purple gemstones out there? Absolutely!
Let’s take a look at a dozen of them that will inspire you and provide some striking jewelry.
Sakura diamond purple pink 16 carats sold for 29 million
Rarest Purple Gemstones #1: Purple Diamonds
Isn’t that a beautiful image, and isn’t “purple diamond” a miraculous combo of words?
Purple is just about the most rare color of a diamond, right up there with red.
Right up front, let’s clarify: if you see terms like plum diamonds, orchid diamonds, mauve diamonds, these are all the same as purple diamonds.
Diamonds are formed from carbon, but sometimes other elements get put into the mix.
One of these is hydrogen, and when a lot of hydrogen mixes into diamond formation, the diamond is purple.
These awesome stones come from many places around the globe, but most are from Australia.
Purple Diamonds are all about luxury and rarity.
Being able to even find one can be hard, and that’s why they cost well into the thousands of dollars.
Purple spinel raw gemstone
2. Purple Spinel
Sometimes you see descriptions of jewelry material, including gemstones, and it says it isn’t good for everyday wear because it’s too fragile.
It can be frustrating, making one think, “do I have to put little tags on my jewelry saying which day I can wear them?”
Well, here’s a blast of good news. Purple Spinel really is available to wear every day.
Its Mohs score is an 8.0, so it’s durable enough to bust out whenever you’d like.
Purple pink spinel oval shape
Purple Spinel usually has a complex crystalline structure that creates a lot of patterns and individual shapes to reflect light in beautiful ways.
Its colors are radiating and light more than they are dark or harsh.
As beautiful as the gemstone is, it usually doesn’t rate as high on a reputation scale as blue or red spinel.
The good news is that this keeps prices within reach.
Purple sapphire from Sri Lanka
Purple Gemstones #3: Purple Sapphire
One of the thrilling things about purple sapphire is that no two stones are exactly alike.
Another thing about them is that unlike their many blue-hued cousins, purple sapphire stones don’t need treatment for their colors to shine through.
As with purple diamonds, Purple Sapphire are extremely rare: they are unique and they are standouts!
When purples sapphire are formed, they have quite a bit of chromium present.
This is where they get their unique color, and since their color is naturally quite nice, there’s no need for any treatment as there is with other Sapphires.
You sometimes see Purple Sapphire that is a shimmering, gentle hue, with a fair amount of blue tones.
Yet some stones are a grape purple with great flair and boldness.
Some are quite translucent, creating a mystical and comforting aura.
Some believe that this stone can inspire psychic achievements. It is tied to the third eye chakra.
Purple rough amethyst quartz crystals
4. Purple Amethyst
Here we are ladies and gents, a gemstone of true renown.
Once a cardinal gem, the Amethyst gained prestige as being up there with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.
However, after mines were found in Brazil, it became more common—and less valuable.
Eventually, many depositories were found in the country, including in Maraba, Bahia, and Rio Grande du Sol.
Purple Amethyst is used to craft faceted stones, beads, and cabochons. They come, as many gemstones do, an a good range of colors.
A lot of Amethyst stones, though, are a warm lavender hue. But what’s distinct and popular about Purple Amethysts is that they often have “color zoning”.
This means different shades or gradations of color in different parts of a particular stone.
For example, there are many banded Amethysts out there, with their V shaped bands, also known as chevrons.
These markings make many collectors feel as though the stone gives them an appealing look.
Amethyst is a December birthstones: it can promote temperance and balance, saving the wearer away from excess.
These stones have a hexagonal crystal structure and a Mohs hardness score of a convincing 7.
They correspond to the crown chakra and are sought-after for healing.
Dainty lolite necklace
5. Lolite
This charming stone serves faithfully when faceted or mounted on rings. Geologists would know it as cordierite, and it comes from igneous rock.
The gem is often dichroite, or of two colors. Often it is also called water sapphire (the stone is similar to that gemstone) because if you look at it from one angle it has a particular blue-purple appearance, yet if you turn it and looks clear like water.
What a beautiful gem!
Lolite water sapphire earrings
Because it looks like Sapphire, but is much more abundant, it is often used as a substitute. It is very hard, at 7-7.5, yet with a definite cleavage that makes it fragile.
One of the special things about this gem is that while the gemstone itself is in high supply, it isn’t on display at a wide variety of jewelers.
It may give you an opportunity to create a very unique piece of jewelry, the envy of all your friends!
Raw red and pink tourmaline gemstones
Purple Gemstones #6: Purple Tourmaline
Purple Tourmaline is another gem that shows in different colors from different angles.
This is always a great trait for any gemstone to have, since it adds a clear special dimension.
Why not have something unique, particularly since purple tourmaline isn’t very expensive?
Purple Tourmaline comes from all over the world, with many deposits in Brazil, but some in California and Maine as well (known as Maine Tourmaline).
It is known to have been mined on North America as early as 1821.
Raw purple tourmaline earrings
Tourmaline is usually at 7-7.5 on the hardness scale, and that kind of durability is not easy to find in a stone that is easy on the pocketbook.
One note is to look out for imitation tourmaline. This is more common with so-called watermelon tourmaline, but when shopping for Purple Tourmaline, it’s not a been idea to be wary.
If you see, through a microscope, a plate of colored glass glued between colorless stone, you have a phony.
You can have a jeweler or dealer check this out for you.
But most of the time, you’ll be getting the real Purple Tourmaline, which can be used in a wide variety of jewelry.
Kunzite on matrix from Afghanistan
7. Purple Kunzite
We now turn to another inimitable purple gemstone, Purple Kunzite. The first thing you’ll notice about this awesome gemstone is its large crystals, usually arranged in neat rows.
This allows you to really drink in the bright colors and to appreciate them. The stone has a natural clarity.
What’s amazing is that a premium stone like this went undiscovered for so long.
There are gemstones that date back nearly a thousand years, and ones that are a couple hundred years old are common.
Yet Kunzite didn’t become discovered until 1902, in Connecticut.
Mineralogist George Frederick Kunz found that this stone, classified as a member of the class spodumene, deserved its own category due to its pinkish purple hue.
Purple kunzite bracelet
A lot of Kunzite is either clear or pink-purple, but some of it is a rich purple, and can be fairly dark.
In 1996, Sotheby’s in New York sold a ring with 47-karat Kunzite for $410,000—the fact that it came from the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis probably didn’t hurt.
In any case, be assured that Purple Kunzite encourages great communication between the heart and the mind, causing the joy that all of us need.
What a wonderful gem to wear, one that will give you incredible spiritual blessings.
Purple jasper pendant
Ancient Purple Gemstones #7: Purple Jasper
Jasper is colored by oxides, and is traceable to many ancient civilizations, even being mentioned in the Bible.
The crystal patterns of the stone are often unique and fascinating.
On top of that beauty, Purple Jasper gives you amazing toughness, scoring 7-7.5 on the hardness scale.
It is often found in haunting, earthy tones of purple, with lavender and almost wistful grey tones mixed in. It is often found with a speckled consistency.
There’s almost no end to the different varieties you’ll find this gemstone in.
Jasper is in tune with the electromagnetic transmissions of the Earth.
Purple Jasper in particular puts a person in perfect tune with nature and to feel a connection with all living things.
Perhaps this is why the ancient Egyptians fashioned amulets included Jasper and used them for such a sacred task as burying them with mummies.
If the ancient Egyptians found the stones that valuable, one can have incredible confidence in them.
What a great way to be in tune with ancient Egyptian royalty!
Scapolite earrings
9. Purple Scapolite
For you feldspar fans, Scapolite looks a lot like like that stone.
However, they can be a bit more fibrous, with wood like grains.
There can also be a silk-like feel to the inside of some of these stones that create a cat’s eye when light passes through.
Scapolite is all about being mounted in pendants or earrings—its hardness score of only 4 or 5 makes it a bit delicate to be used as a ring stone.
It would get rustled around too much in that role.
Purple chalcedony
10. Purple Chalcedony
This is a silicon dioxide mineral. It is made of quartz particles arrayed in layers.
There’s no doubt that in its various forms, these gemstones can have a very striking appearance.
Oval-shaped stones look a lot like jelly beans, and purple chalcedony is often nicknamed purple grape chalcedony.
Purple chalcedony flower teardrop earrings
This falls into the blessed category of stones that have no cleavage; it is also tough-skinned, with a hardness score of 6.5-7 Mohs.
Spiritually, it adds to a person’s generosity and can foster integrity.
It also stimulates the central nervous system, and in this way, acts as a healing stone.
Purple fluorite crystals
11. Purple Fluorite
With this delicate gemstone, we get right back into the realm of rarity.
Fluorite might be a staple with mineral collectors, but if you come across a piece of jewelry with the stone, you have become the owner of something unique and precious.
Purple fluorite gives your jewelry such an understated loveliness due to its delicate light purple hues.
Multi fluorite ring
The Blue John variety includes white bands.
While its hardness score is only 4, and while it has a distinct cleavage, that doesn’t stop Purple Fluorite from being ideal for use in pendants or earrings.
Turn to this stone for help in fighting procrastination and in being clearer-minded and more organized.
Sugilite
Purple Gemstones #12: Sugilite
We end our exploration with the rarest of the rare and the most exotic of purple gemstones.
Sugilite is found in South Africa and Japan.
As such, it’s much more commonly warn by Asians than those in the Western world.
The stone has vitreous luster and a hexagonal crystal structure. Its hardness score is 6-6.5.
A lot of the stones have a very clear purple color that is grapelike. Some have a similar rich color but a mottled appearance.
The stone is often carved into complex design, and also works well when faceted. Sugilite is a February birthstone, helping to stay positive, focus on and achieve goals.
To conclude, purple gemstones can range from vibrant and bold to demure and understated. There are many varieties that are at any place in between.
Many purple versions of various gemstones are among the less common varieties of these stones.
You should definitely go for purple gemstones to express your individuality and to acquire originality.
Further, many purple gemstones resemble other stones, and can often be an inexpensive alternative.
If you’re looking for rarity and like finding things out of the ordinary, and if you have a bit more money to spend, the stones on our list have a lot to offer you as well.
Tags: purple gemstone jewelry, shades of purple, purple shades, jewelry purple, purple sapphires, shade of purple, used in jewelry, gemstones purple, dark purple