Amethyst in Brazil, South America

As one of the most recognisable and adaptable gemstones in the jewellery world, Amethyst occupies a special place in our hearts here at Monica Vinader.

It is so consistently and delightfully surprising thanks to the range of violet colours it can display that it is perfectly wedded to one of its most prominent source countries, Brazil. Only a good helping of the South American diversity that Brazil offers can make this gemstone one of the world's true favourites. Let's discover more about the story behind the amazing Amethyst in one of the most fascinating gemstone locations on the planet.

Brazil has played an intriguing part in the story of Amethyst and how it became one of the most popular and accessible semi-precious gemstones in the world today. The roots of its name might date back to Ancient Greece, but the nature of the changes to its place in the world are believed to be much more recent. For much of the jewellery-enamoured world, Amethyst was up there with the finest stones available until around the 18th century. It was revered alongside Ruby, Diamond and Emerald (all of which can also be found in South America) until large deposits of it were discovered in Brazil and people became aware that it wasn't quite as rare as they first believed.

Amethyst can be found in the most part in the southern and north-eastern regions of Brazil, where many more varieties of quartz and other gemstones can be unearthed. The country is, in fact, often described as something of a 'treasure chest' of the semi-precious gemstones of the world - and Amethyst is one of the contributing factors to that. Let's find out more about the locations in which Amethyst is abundant and famous in Brazil.

The state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is Brazil's southernmost state and the only one that neighbours Uruguay, is a prolific producer of Amethyst. It is also known as one of the world's most important sources of Agate. As you would expect, the earth's rocks know no international boundaries, so these gemstone deposits are also found further south across the border in Uruguay.

One of the most active locations for the mining and faceting of Amethyst in Brazil is the state of Minas Gerais in the southeast. It occurs there in large geodes in volcanic rocks and is consistently mined every year for exporting across the world.

This variety of quartz is particularly abundant in this region of Brazil, so it's a source of great interest to jewellery makers and geologists alike, but buyers from the region will also often source their Amethyst from the northern mines in Pau-d'Arco in the state of Maranhão, where stones of an exceptionally fine quality can be found.

The large state of Mato Grosso is also one of the world's most prolific producers of fine Amethyst gemstones, owing to the unique geological composition of the earth there. The Amazon rainforest covers most of the land in Mato Grosso and it stands proud as one of the richest sources of gemstones in the country - and not just for Amethyst. Large deposits of Emerald were discovered in the northern regions there in 1981, making it hugely famous for its gemstone production ever since.

As well as the important sources in Brazil, Amethyst can be found in many countries around the world. Russia is perhaps the most significant pick of the bunch thanks to its famous 'Deep Russian' variety - this particular cut is very rare and desirable amongst those who know their jewellery. Amethyst can also be sourced in places like Tibet, India, South Korea and North America, so Brazil isn't the only geologically important site to bring this beautiful gemstone to jewellery pieces around the world.

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