Have you heard of Green Amethyst? Well, forget about it. There is no such thing really, it's called Prasiolite and it is a wonderful minty green stone that has an incredible sparkle when it is beautifully cut.
Both Amethyst and Prasiolite are quartz stones, the first being a purple colour and the latter a green.
Prasiolite is created when Amethyst is heated to around 500 degrees celsius. This can occur underground near lava flows where the heat changes the stones to the green hue, or it can be replicated in laboratories. The majority of the stones on the market are heat treated to reveal their green colours. Brazil, Arizona and Poland produce some of the best Prasiolite gemstones.
The same as with other quartz stones, like Citrine, Smoky Quartz and Rose Quartz, Prasiolite has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, making it a durable stone that can be used in any type of jewellery piece.
To prolong the life of your Prasiolite jewellery, store them separately from other pieces in a jewellery box. Heat treated stones don't do well in high heat environments. Don't leave your Prasiolite in a locked car in the summer sun and always store your jewellery collection in a cool cupboard or drawer.
Before you think that heat treatments are bad and that you are not buying a real stone, did you know that almost every single Tanzanite on the market started off as a brownish stone called Zoisite? These are heated to produce that distinctive colour that has fascinated the world. Stone treatments with gemstones are almost as common these days as botox injections during a lunchbreak.
Prasiolite is a fascinating stone that is a welcome addition to any jewellery collection!