ArtFire

I lucked out when I first started making jewelry and bought these beautiful C- amethysts. I prefer the slightly off color or slightly included gemstones because if I want perfection I can always go to Swarovski. I've shopped for jewelry like this for decades before I ever tried to make jewelry.

This particular pair of amethysts don't have an inclusions that I can see in this light, and are a very deep purple. They are not dyed, or the inclusions in the rest of the strand would not be visible. I suspect they were classified C- because they are rather opaque. I'm not a gemologist, so this is just my musings.

Amethysts are the birthstone for February, and once were ground up and given to alcoholics as a cure for alcoholism. Didn't work for some reason :)

Amethysts, gold filled findings