• 2.60ct purple square cut Amethyst
• Measures 8 x 8 x 6mm
• Purchased from Walles in Tanzania
• Cut by artisanal cutters in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz that is found in abundance in East Africa. The finest gems are considered to be deep, saturated grape purple with even coloring throughout the stone. Ancient Greeks associated amethyst with the god Dionysus because of its grape-like hue, and they believed it helped prevent intoxication. Amethyst is a wonderful choice for someone looking for a larger stone that is beautiful yet affordable.

Amethyst is the birthstone for the month of February.

Gems from the heart

Moyo means 'heart' in Kiswahili. Our new project expands our Moyo Gems cutting from one person in the US, Beth Stier, to a group of five independent artisanal cutters in Chiang Mai, Thailand. These gems are beautifully precision cut by Gao and Khal (husband + wife) along with Lek, Yod, and Albert. Gao does all the dopping and polishing and Albert cuts the majority of the melee-sized gems. This kind of cutting efficiency can allow us to purchase more of the smaller East African rough gems, which brings fully traceable gemstone melee to the market AND provides a valuable outlet for the gem miners in East Africa: win/win!

A Moyo gem gives back a higher percentage of the sale than an ANZA gem, and this amount is re-invested into the Moyo Gems program to help run market days and support local community needs.

SKU #M81171