Stone Story
Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on earth, but amethyst's purple requires specific conditions. Iron must be present as an impurity within the forming crystal, and natural irradiation must occur during or after formation to activate the color. That combination is common enough to make amethyst widely available but specific enough that the full deep purple range is less frequent, which explains both the stone's accessibility and the premium that still attaches to strongly saturated material.