Is your amethyst crystal turning white, becoming clear or losing color? Then you need to read this article.
Amethyst is one of the most common purple gems in the common today among many others.
Wearing this crystal as jewelry or carrying it along opens you to the benefits of a quartz’s energy as believed by holistic experts and energy healers.
Amethyst is a natural mood booster. It relieves stress, and anxiety and soothes an agitated heart.
Amethyst is linked with royalty due to its incredible reddish-purple coloring.
This purple coloring caused by its iron and other mineral elements that composes amethyst, is often in deep and light shades, yet intensifying.
However, the purple coloring of amethyst can change due to several factors and the big question of why it changes will be answered as you read further.
Can Amethyst Change and Lose Color?
Yes. Amethyst can change and lose its initial color just like any other crystal in the quartz family.
And when it changes to other colors apart from white, it ceases to be amethyst but another crystal known as citrine.
Some of its components that cause its purple colorings such as Titanium and Iron may be tampered with, hence, causing a change from the original purple color to other colors.
If exposed to heat for a long while, amethyst can turn green, brown, or yellow, making it lose its purple color.
Does Amethyst Fade in the Sun?
Yes, it certainly does.
Amethyst fades in the sun as a result of the intense heat and sunlight.
Consistency in exposure to sunlight especially for very long periods can cause electron swaps between the iron and oxygen components of Amethyst.
This can lead to its fading.
Why is My Amethyst Turning White?
Iron is one of the major components of Amethyst and also a major factor in the purple coloration of amethyst.
However, a lack of iron in the crystal can turn the crystal white.
When iron in your amethyst begins to reduce perhaps due to fluctuations caused by environmental changes, your amethyst gradually turns white.
Find out if you should wear amethyst crystals everyday.
Why is My Amethyst Turning Clear Over Time?
Amethyst is quite clear in appearance and is often called ‘eye-clean’, describing how it is free from inclusions the naked eye can see.
The clarity of amethyst is one of the best ways to check for its authenticity when purchasing.
It shows that it has been refined and polished, which then enables it to function in its healing and well-being properties as it ought to.
However, if your amethyst turns clear over time in terms of a lighter shade from its original color, it can be a sign of discoloration by sunlight.
Learn here how to charge and cleanse your amethyst crystals.
5 Reasons Your Amethyst is Changing Color
Crystals are peculiar stones with mineral components that react to changes and even have phases of growth.
Amethyst, even as a member of the popular quartz family of crystals, is not excluded from this.
Amethyst has ways it ought to be handled in terms of use and care. This to a great extent influences its components’ reaction that leads to certain changes to the amethyst as a whole, of which color change is not excluded.
Here are 5 Reasons your amethyst is changing color:
1) Heat
Some people heat their amethyst with the motive of changing its color hue for aesthetic purposes. In heating, electron swap occurs between oxygen atoms within the amethyst and then changes the color.
The higher the temperatures and longer the exposure to heat, the more electron swapping occurs leading to more serious colors.
Amethyst will turn from purple to brown, white, yellow, orange, and even a light green.
This can also happen naturally due to earthly factors such as an extremely hot environment and sunlight.
Is your amethyst breaking? See here everything you need to know.
2) Exposure to Sunlight
Exposing your amethyst to sunlight and UV can change its color. A strong degree of light in general can cause color change of amethyst.
If you find your amethyst changing color, check where you are keeping it. Do not keep it next to a window to ensure it doesn’t fade over time.
Also, using the new UV sanitizers to sanitize your amethyst may change its color due to exposure to UV. Ultrasonic cleaners are rather better and safer.
3) Water Cleansing
The deposits caused by the patches of water that dry white in metallic surfaces such as sinks are minerals left behind when the water evaporates.
When cleansing your amethyst with water, these same mineral deposits could patch themselves to cracks in your crystal.
If enough of these minerals build up inside the cracked parts of your stone, it could become white and pale.
4) Lack of Iron
Amethyst has one of the highest iron contents of all minerals it is composed of. Iron and even magnesium impurity inclusions in the quartz give amethyst its incredible purple color.
Environmental conditions which could fluctuate the iron content in amethyst can lead to its (iron) lack which may gradually lead to a change in color, especially to white.
5) Changes in Environmental Conditions
Natural changes in environmental conditions such as extreme hot and cold weather and temperature could change your amethyst color.
Humanly caused, placing your amethyst by a radiator, AC unit, hot bath, window, cold room or heater could be the reason why your amethyst is changing color.
Take note that raw and unpolished amethyst are more vulnerable to this.
Find out why you can’t use amethyst and carnelian at the same time.
Final Thoughts
As a final thought, most of the causes of the color change of amethysts are scientific.
However, since it is greatly recommended for mental and emotional healing like sadness, grief, and negativity into happiness and positivity in certain medicines, holistic experts and energy healers also have a standpoint on the cause of amethyst color change.
From their spiritual point of view, the color change means your amethyst is resonating with too much negative or bad energy and needs to be cleaned as soon as possible.
But, in general, it is good that you improve the color of your amethyst if it changes or you prevent further discoloration to continue to enjoy the beautiful properties of your precious crystal.
