What is My Birthstone Mineral and What are its Properties?

Crystals and gemstones have been associated with months of the year for almost 2,000 years. Today, we call them birthstones.

Ask-a-Geologist #19: What Gives Amethyst that Pretty Purple Color?

Lily wrote to us and asked about the mineral amethyst. Specifically, she wants to know what gives amethyst that beautiful purple color. In this video, we talk about why amethyst is purple, its relation to quartz and an interesting fact about how citrine fits into that mineral family.

Ask-A-Geologist #7: Are amethysts a part of geodes or are the minerals in geodes different?

David asked: Are amethysts part of geodes or are the minerals in geodes different? Hi David, geodes can contain amethyst crystals. These unique samples form in open holes in sedimentary rocks such as limestone or igneous rocks likes basalt.

Amethyst is one of the most popular minerals with children

Amethyst is a common, purple form of the mineral quartz. Fairly hard, amethyst is a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale which has a range from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest).