Amazonite - What is amazonite

Amazonite: Beautiful in green

Lovely in its greenish-blue colour, Amazonite is a microcline form of the mineral feldspar. This beautiful crystal is essentially a blend of potassium with aluminium silicate. From the very first footsteps of human civilization, Amazonite was a favoured bead jewellery. Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas — find this calming mineral stone everywhere. Ethiopia in Africa, Virginia and Colorado in the USA, and Peru and Brazil in the Americas produce the finest gemstone quality amazonites.

Amazonite is often confused with jade and turquoise because of the similarities in their colours. But you can identify this translucent to opaque gemstone by its mirror-like sheen. At The Jewellery Room, you will find the most authentic amazonite jewellery from the finest designers and design houses around the world.

The different hues of the elusive Amazonite

Amazonite comes in a variety of soothing greenish hues from pale green to dark and some containing a bluish tinge. The origin of its colour is what makes amazonite a mysterious stone. Scientific investigation rounds up three contenders — copper, iron, and lead. But we still don’t know the clear winner!

Amazonite in jewellery
Amazonite is a soft stone with perfect cleavage. So, the best gem-cutters handle it delicately to create cabochons and the occasional rose-cut but not a facet-cut. Amazonite is rarely faceted due to its opaqueness. These gemstones are also fashioned into beads. Amazonite is modelled in protective settings, often in bezel, to create exquisite jewellery. You will find a beautiful collection of amazonite bead necklaces and bracelets at thejewelleryroom.com.

We bet you didn’t know these facts about Amazonite!

If not the oldest, Amazonite is one of the oldest gemstones known to humans. It was a popular jewellery gemstone in Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley. That the Chapter 7 of the famous Egyptian Book of Dead was carved in Amazonite is testimony to this fact.

With a hardness of 6-6.5 on the Mohs scale, amazonite is believed to have powerful healing and spiritual properties. Possessing an amazonite stone on your person can help you tackle the negative aura that digital gadgets of today’s age generate.

But perhaps the funniest and strangest fact about this gemstone is that its moniker, though inspired by the mighty Amazon River in South America, has nothing to do with the location. Noted mineralogist J.F.A. Breithaupt officially christened this gemstone “Amazonite” in 1847 for reasons unknown.

That said, fine amazonite jewellery has one-of-kind mystique. Find the perfect one for you at The Jewellery Room.