For most of recorded human history, purple was the original power color. It was the color of kings, queens, emperors and royalty. In the 1st century AD, Roman emperor Nero not only decreed that purple garments were reserved solely for the emperor, but also that trade in any purple items was banned – on pain of death!
In the 6th century AD, when an uncontrollable riot almost forced the Byzantine emperor Justinian I to flee, his consort, the empress Theodora, gave him courage by boldly declaring that “Royal purple is the noblest shroud.” Royalty has jealously guarded the majesty of purple for millennia.
For ancient and medieval peoples, purple represented the very pinnacle of color, a natural pairing to sovereigns. And no gem dripped more decadently with that elusive, royal color than coveted amethyst. The ancient Greeks believed the purple stone could prevent intoxication. In fact, amethyst comes from the Greek term “not drunk.” For centuries, amethyst was one of the most expensive gems on the planet, considered the equal of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds.
All that changed in the early 19th century, however, when massive deposits of the previously rare gem were found in Brazil. Prices plummeted almost overnight. By the late Victorian era, amethyst was considered far too plebian for the jewelry of the aristocracy, much less that of royalty, although it was still employed in some fine Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau jewelry.
The second half of the 20th century was even less kind to once coveted purple gemstones. Calibre-cut amethysts were often used as inexpensive additions to low-value, mass-produced tennis bracelets, earrings and cocktail rings. Amethyst’s harrowing descent from noblest gem to lowly bauble mirrored purple’s demotion from the color of royalty to just another banal hue.
Fine jewelry largely ignored purple gemstones throughout most of the 20th century, instead gravitating towards the bold, thrilling reds of rubies, the enigmatic, soothing blues of sapphires and the dazzling, brilliant white of diamonds. But then a funny thing happened. It gradually dawned on gemstone connoisseurs that three exceptionally fine stones came in purple: sapphire, spinel and tanzanite.
One of the many different hues of fancy sapphire, purple sapphire had been inexplicably overlooked by the gem industry for many decades. Sapphire, with its incredible brilliance, fire and hardness, is the consummate colored gem. So it isn’t surprising that a renewed interest in purple sapphire has recently brought this ravishing gem to the forefront of fashion. This newfound enthusiasm has pushed purple sapphire prices skyward. Whereas 1 carat stones used to trade for around $50 per carat, now you would be very lucky to find decent stones at $200 or $300 a carat.
Purple sapphire’s sister stone, purple spinel, has also seen a wave of interest in the last couple of decades. In addition to being almost as hard and tough as sapphire, spinel possesses a rare and treasured trait among colored gemstones; it is never treated. This means that every (non-synthetic) spinel is an all-natural stone, mined directly from the earth with no need for artificial enhancements to bring out its tremendous beauty. These underrated gemstones are a bargain compared to purple sapphire, with fine specimens still available at under $100 a carat.
Tanzanite is a relative newcomer to the world’s stage. Only discovered in 1967, tanzanite is a striking violet-blue stone that is mined in only one location on earth – Tanzania. The gem’s similarity in color to blue sapphire – except with a strong hint of purple – has made it a hit among gem collectors and jewelry lovers alike.
In fact, the gem is so beautiful that the first company to promote the new gem shortly after its discovery was none other than renowned luxury house Tiffany & Co. Sadly for tanzanite enthusiasts, experts estimate that its single source mines have perhaps only 15 to 20 years of production left before they are completely exhausted.
As recently as 20 years ago, all purple gemstones was invariably assumed to be a cheap and garish amethyst. Consequently, purple gemstone jewelry was largely viewed as mundane costume jewelry. But this misinformed attitude is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Today’s high power purple gemstones – sapphire, spinel and tanzanite – are all exceedingly rare, incredibly desirable and more popular than they’ve ever been before. Purple gems are back, but this time around they aren’t just for royalty.
