Purple gemstones are the most sought-after substitute or variants of Blue Sapphire (Neelam). The strongest form of Blue Sapphire is the Purple Sapphire, which is also sometimes called Khooni Neelam. The most popular Purple gemstone is Amethyst.
Purple Gemstone Meaning
Purple gemstones are mostly variants or substitutes of Blue Sapphires which are most sought after for their astrological prowess and the jewelry made from these dazzling gems. The most popular purple gemstones are Amethyst, Purple Sapphire, and Khooni Neelam.
Amethyst, also known as Jamunia, is one of the most well-known substitutes for Blue Sapphire.
Purple Sapphire, also called Violet Sapphire or Plum Sapphire, is considered as one of the strongest forms of Blue Sapphire (Neelam) and is also popular in jewelry.
Khooni Neelam, also known as Raktambari Neelam, is regarded as the strongest and the most effective form of Blue Sapphire.
Purple Gemstone Identification
Although most purple gemstones look alike, they have very different physical and chemical compositions and dimensions which can help in distinguishing between them. However, they can be differentiated based on their color as well
Name of Purple Gemstone
Color of Gemstone
Amethyst
Violet
Purple Sapphire
Bluish-purple
Khooni Neelam
Bluish-purple or purplish-pink with a reddish glow
Like any other colored gemstone, the quality and uniqueness of purple gemstones are measured by collectively assessing its origin, color, clarity, and cut.
Origin
: Natural Ceylon Purple Sapphire (Sri Lanka) gemstones are regarded as of the finest quality. Some good quality Madagascar Purple Sapphire may feature an astonishingly beautiful purple hue with a slight pinkish overtone which is much admired by gem connoisseurs worldwide. Quality Khooni Neelam can be collected from any mining location such as Kashmir (India), Sri Lanka, Thailand, Madagascar, and America. But the Ceylonese varieties hold the utmost quality. The rich purple color associated with African Amethyst makes it exceptionally popular. However, Zambian and Brazilian Amethyst are also famous Amethyst origins because of their saturated raspberry purple color.
Color
: Purple Sapphires with more saturated and even color distribution are considered most valuable. Purple Sapphire accented with a slight pinkish tone or a red dot/streak get little more attention in the Indian market. A natural Sapphire with a crisp Purple or Blue hue with a sublime red glow (visible from certain angles) is regarded as a genuine Khooni Neelam. The finest quality Amethyst displays vividly saturated purple color (with or without red tints) and lacks color zoning completely.
Clarity
: Natural Purple Sapphire without any eye-visible inclusions are rarely found and are hence considered quite precious.
In the case of a Khooni Neelam, transparent gems that show up a distinct red mark or spot become increasingly rare and valuable. Such unique pieces are rarely found in the market (1 out of 10,000) and thus treasured by the gem sellers. A transparent Amethyst without visible inclusions radiates light and color better than the translucent stones. As a rule, lesser the inclusions, better is the quality of Amethyst. Since it is comfortably available in nature and quite affordable, it is not worthy to compromise on the clarity aspect when buying Amethyst online or from dealers.
Cut
: Gem cutters facet the fine quality raw Purple Sapphire into commercial shapes such as round and oval that cause minimum wastage of the rough stone. Purple Sapphire can also be found in fancy shapes such as emerald cut, princess cut, and square-cut, however, these shapes are less common and are available only at selected gem stores. A good cutting style supports greater light discipline inside the gemstone and allows the stone to pass on maximum energy to the wearer. Thus, it is always recommended to invest in a Khooni Neelam which is smooth, lustrous and free from surface aberrations. Since Amethyst is comfortably available in nature and is quite affordable, it is not worth compromising on the cut when buying Amethyst.
Purple gemstones consist of a plethora of astrological and healing benefits. Since they are either varieties or Substitutes for Blue Sapphire, they possess similar astrological attributes as that of Blue Sapphire. However, they might have a difference in their time taken to bring these attributes into effect. Substitutes work slower than the main stones while variants work equally fast or in a stronger manner.
Purple Sapphire and Khooni Neelam are the strongest and fastest forms of Blue Sapphire whereas Amethyst is a substitute that works in a slower manner.
Purple Sapphire is a powerful gemstone that helps the wearer to have a higher mind, self-mastery, and strong spiritual vision.
Khooni Neelam stone effects largely depend on the planetary alignment in the individual’s chart. It gives benefits similar to Blue Sapphire Benefits, but the way of manifestation may vary.
Amethyst is quite popular for its ability to calm restless and distracted minds and thus is highly beneficial in improving wearer’s productivity.
These purple gemstones have the following benefits:
Promotes Professional Success
: Karmic planet Saturn is known to recompense the person with righteous rewards. Therefore, wearing purple gemstone benefits individuals to overcome the stagnancy in their careers and turnaround their prosperity. A purple or violet stone is regarded especially beneficial for female entrepreneurs and professionals associated with the IT field.
Known to have a calming effect
: The purple stone is known to strengthen the veins and helps the person to deal with blood-related disorders. It soothes the mind and helps in proper functioning of the glands. Those involved in unnecessary worries and negative emotions can wear this amazing gemstone to re-establish balance and reaffirm their faith.
Blesses with Self Confidence
: As per the Chakra therapies, Purple gemstone activates the Crown Chakra and helps the wearer to overcome inferiority complex and regain confidence. Its positive energies help to enhance the wearer’s thinking process and learn to have confidence in their abilities. It can revive unexpected opportunities, thereby helping the wearer to reclaim materialistic and financial comforts as well as repair lost or broken relationships.
Supports Meditation & Spiritual Activities
: Regarded as the stone of awakening, Purple gemstone is worn to increase the spiritual beliefs. Its calming properties help the wearer to meditate and allow them to focus during spiritual practices.
Improves Hair, Teeth & Bone Health
: Detoxification and cellular regeneration are some of the widely recognized purple gemstone healing benefits in alternative medicine. It is also worn to cure Arthritis, bone- cancer, and Paralysis.
Aside from their astrological benefits, purple gemstones are immensely popular for their jewelry availability, especially in western regions of the world. They can be worn as a purple gemstone necklace, ring, pendant, and bracelet.
Purple Gemstone Ring
: Purple gemstone rings are well-known amongst jewelry enthusiasts as one of the finest pieces of jewelry. Not only is the wearer benefited by its astrological powers, but the ornament also increases one’s style quotient significantly.
Purple Gemstone Bracelet
: Bracelets are one of the most eloquent ways to wear a purple gemstone as it goes well with every style and can be accompanied by any metal be it gold or silver. It also showers the wearer with its astrological powers.
Purple Gemstone Pendant
: Pendants made from purple gemstones not only improve one’s overall look but also benefits the wearer with its collection of astrological powers. It goes well with a silver chain and can be worn with any style of clothing.
Purple gemstone price usually ranges from Rs 250 to Rs 1 lakh per carat plus. Purple gemstone price per carat largely depends on color, origin, cut, treatment, carat weight, and clarity.
Color
: A bright purple-blue sapphire or a deep purple-blue sapphire are usually more valuable than the excessively light or dark Purple Sapphire. Deep purple amethyst with slight red and blue hues, draws higher pricing than too dark or too light gemstones. Color zoning or inconsistent color distribution can marginally reduce amethyst cost per carat. True Khooni Neelam gemstone is neither too violet nor too purple, it is just enough bright and vividly saturated so that it doesn’t look dull or too lucent. Majority of Khooni Neelam or Purple Sapphire from Sri Lanka display these characteristics and hence remains high on account of prices.
Origin
: Ceylonese and Madagascar purple Sapphire have the highest price due to their impeccable quality. Similarly, the Khooni Neelam from Sri Lanka fares quite well on quality and thus their prices trend higher than stones from other origins. Brazilian Amethyst sell for higher prices due to their superior quality while African Amethyst still manages to fare a decent price due to their clarity.
Cut
: A precisely cut Purple Sapphire fetches good money in the market as it can enhance the brightness of the stone and cleverly hides the visible inclusions. If quality remains the same, the round and oval-shaped Purple Sapphire gemstones are cheaper than the fancy ones. The same goes for Khooni Neelam. A finely cut Amethyst not only illuminates color and light better but can cleverly conceal the inclusions. Faceted Amethyst is more expensive than cabochons because of the stone wastage incurred in the process. On similar grounds, if the overall quality remains the same, round and oval shapes are cheaper than square or other customized shapes.
Treatment
: Usually, natural amethyst is more valuable and astrologically compatible than synthetic or treated ones.
Carat Weight
: It is quite rare to come across a flawless, original Purple Sapphire above few carats because color and clarity are not likely to co-exist on the same scale. Unsurprisingly, for such a piece Khooni Neelam gemstone price can range in millions. Amethyst is abundantly available in nature. For this reason, one may not find an exponential increase in the price of Amethyst due to the carat weight.
Clarity
: Finding an eye-clean original Purple Sapphire is exceptionally rare. Especially the ones with red dots. The Khooni Neelam stone price may reduce for gems containing feathers, rutile needles, fingerprint inclusions, etc. The drop in Khooni Neelam cost largely depends on the volume, location, and nature of these inclusions. Amethyst is largely free of visible inclusions. Although when present, they may appear like reddish brown needles or L-shaped bands and can reduce its overall worth.
A Khooni Neelam is a purple-pink Sapphire that comes with a red-colored feather (or dot-like inclusion) or may have a bluish red shade. It is said that Khooni Neelam stone has a tremendous effect on the wearer and offers rapid gain in terms of name, wealth and success. This unique gem variety looks unbelievably attractive and has a hypnotic effect.
Amethyst is recognized in Vedic astrology as the substitute or upratna of blue Sapphire which means it is capable of delivering results but not without having certain repercussions. When compared with the original astrological gemstone (in this case, Blue sapphire), a substitute takes much more time. In addition, the results may not meet the expectations of the wearer. Amethyst though is suggested when a person is constrained by budget issues and is in no condition to buy blue sapphire.