A quick field guide to spotting treated stones — before you buy.
1. Look for uneven colour
Natural amethyst almost never shows a single uniform purple. Genuine stones have colour zoning — deeper violet beside paler lavender, often strongest at the tips. Suspiciously even colour usually means it has been dyed or irradiated.
2. Check for bubbles and seams
Hold the piece to the light. Round bubbles or a faint seam line point to glass or resin, not quartz. Real amethyst has inclusions and fractures, never perfect air bubbles.
3. Be wary of neon
If the purple looks electric under normal light, be cautious. Most intensely neon amethyst has been heat-treated or dyed to fake colour the stone never had.
4. The price tells a story
Large, flawless, deeply saturated clusters at bargain prices are usually too good to be true. Natural specimens of that quality are rare — and priced accordingly.
The only certainty: origin
Every test helps, but the surest protection is buying from a seller who can tell you exactly where the stone came from. Traceability is the one thing a counterfeit can never fake.
Every stone at MEG ships with a traceable origin certificate. See how it works →