Iolite gems may be pale to dark-blue or violet, and are translucent to transparent. It appears blue or violet when viewed from one direction, colorless from another and yellowish when viewed from a third direction. The most incredible tanzanite gem is the 242-carat 'Queen of Kilimanjaro', which is mounted in a white gold, serpent-like tiara with tsavorite garnet and diamond.Īnother violet gem is iolite, which gets its name from the Greek word for 'violet' 'ios'. This is because of its perfect cleavage, which like diamond means that a single blow can cleave it. It is affordable in 1 to 2 carat weights and is best in protected settings for rings that will be worn daily. Indeed, by looking at the magnificent color of tanzanite, it is easy to see why this official December birthstone has become so popular. While tanzanite is not as hard as spinel or sapphire, it has incredible color saturation, which is why it is so valued. Tanzanite is only found in the hills of Northern Tanzania, the country after which it was named by Tiffany & Co. Yet, many stones lean toward the violet end of the scale. In fact, the most desirable tanzanite color is bright blue, so gemstones tend to be cut to maximize the blue rather than the violet hue. Buy Violet-Blue Tanzanite GemsĪ gemstone with cool violet colors is tanzanite, which is a pleochroic gem that may display blue or violet depending on the angle from which it is viewed. Another such stone sits atop the Russian Imperial Crown and weighs 398.72 carats. Such historically important spinel gems include the Black Prince's Ruby. The most famous spinel gemstones are red, rather than purple and some of them have been mistaken for fine ruby. Large purple spinel stones are hard to find, but small stones are easily available and their lack of size is compensated for with color and sparkle. Moreover, spinel gems are untreated and tend to be sold at prices that are more pocket-friendly than ruby and sapphire. Along with perfectly pure color in almost every variation from gray to red comes wonderful brilliance and very good hardness. Spinel gems occur in a plethora of purple and violet hues, from reddish-purple to cool grayish-violet. Sapphire has it all superior hardness, brilliance, color and durability, but it comes at a high price in large sizes. Purple sapphires are perfect for engagement rings or other jewelry that will be exposed to daily wear and tear.

Some purple sapphires have the ability to show a color change under different lighting conditions. Purple sapphires vary between pinkish-purple to cool violet. Buy Purple & Violet Sapphire GemsĪlthough blue is the best-known color for sapphire gems, purple sapphires colored by vanadium, iron or titanium traces are quite rare.

While amethyst is probably the best-known purple stone, it is not the only one there are several other options to consider, depending on the requirements. Amethyst is the birthstone for February and is attributed with the ability to prevent intoxication. This is sometimes referred to as 'Rose de France' a trade name for light colored amethyst that appears somewhat like kunzite. While deep purple amethyst is valued above all, it is also available in lighter shades, which are preferred by some gem enthusiasts. Other well-known amethysts include the Duchess of Windsor's amethyst and turquoise necklace designed by Cartier in 1947 and the Kent Amethyst Demi-Parure owned by the Queen of England. Yet, this beautiful purple gemstone actually turned out to be a rather large amethyst. Fine amethyst has been mistaken for purple sapphire in the past, in particular, the Delhi Purple Sapphire, which has an interesting story of ill-fate. The first purple gemstone that usually springs to mind is amethyst, which is a variety of quartz and occurs as geode gems as well as polished stones. This is true in politics, where red and blue have particular affiliations and associations. In some spheres, purple is seen as a middle ground between aggressive red and tranquil blue. Purple and violet have certain connotations some of these are individuality, religion, royalty and wealth. This means that violet is a cooler hue than purple. On a traditional color wheel, violet is next to blue and purple is between violet and red. The terms 'purple' and 'violet' are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference. Purple and violet are both a mix of blue and red with some hues being nearer to blue and others closer to red. Purple and Violet Gemstones Buy Natural Purple and Violet Gemstones from GemSelect Amethyst, Iolite, Tanzanite, Rubellite, Sapphire & Spinel Gems

Amethyst purple stones