Prasiolite Rings & Jewelry - What is Prasiolite & Care of Jewelry

What is Prasiolite?

You may have heard the term "Green Amethyst" before, perhaps many times. Well, "Green Amethyst" is actually an incorrect term used to refer to a stone known as Prasiolite.

Prasiolite is a variety of quartz that occurs in yellowish-green to green colors. Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz. Both are used by gemstone collectors for jewelry.

Prasiolite is formed when amethyst is heated. This heating can be done by humans (such as through heat-treating in a lab or irradiating the amethyst) or natural (rock formations containing amethyst are heated by natural processes like lava flows). Most prasiolite is formed by treatments, rather than natural means.

The purple color in amethyst, caused by trace amounts of iron or iron minerals in the quartz, is stable under most conditions, but can change when heated to high temperatures. Most amethyst will turn yellow or brown when heated, but a small amount of amethyst contains materials which become a yellowish green to green color to form prasiolite. Prasiolite is suitable for almost any kind of jewelry.

Care of Prasiolite Jewelry

If your prasiolite jewelry was produced by heat treatment (most is produced this way), it should be stored with care. Exposure to strong sunlight or some types of artificial light for long periods can cause the green color of the stones to fade. You can protect your prasiolite jewelry by storing it in darkness, such as a dark jewelry box, cabinet, or jewelry pouch.

Prasiolite jewelry should also be protected from heat sources in the home. Prasiolite stones should be removed from jewelry if it is being repaired to protect them from heating processes used in metal repair. Do not leave prasiolite jewelry in direct sunlight for long periods.

Appeal of Prasiolite Jewelry

Less commonly used than gems like amethyst, topaz, or garnet, the appeal of prasiolite comes from its uniqueness and color. Its color is often a very pale green that is attractive in a variety of jewelry.

Prasiolite Jewelry at Le Gem Nouveau

We're big fans of prasiolite at Le Gem Nouveau and have started carrying a few pieces of jewelry featuring this stone.

Note: The pieces in the article may be sold out or no longer available at the time of reading, but other prasiolite items are added on a monthly basis. Try searching "prasiolite" in our store's search bar.

These beautiful sterling silver rings are our favorites:

Teardrop Prasiolite Sterling Silver Cocktail Ring (pictured at the title of this blog post)

Green Prasiolite Sterling Silver Cocktail Ring

We also carry a necklace: Prasiolite Sterling Silver Pendant Necklace

And Earrings: Prasiolite Sterling Silver Teardrop Earrings

 What do you think of prasiolite?