GEM KNOWLEDGE · LABORATORY NOTES
Prasiolite
A green faceted quartz submitted as “green amethyst,” with inclusions that the analyst considered unusual.
Sample 1120 · January 29, 2025.
Identification: quartz. The analyst suspected hydrothermal manufacture.
What the testing revealed
The report measured iron at 0.15 wt.% and chromium up to 0.04 wt.%. It describes two-phase inclusions containing a greenish solid and liquid.
Based on their appearance, the analyst expressed the opinion that the stone was manufactured in a hydrothermal pressure vessel. The inclusions were not destructively analyzed, so that opinion is preserved as an interpretation rather than a completed inclusion analysis.
Green Amethyst and Prasiolite are included as search names for this specimen. This report does not establish that every green quartz or every stone offered as prasiolite has the same origin.
Laboratory report
Understanding the report figures
Use this guide alongside the written findings and the original report transcript. It explains the purpose of each analytical figure and preserves the laboratory’s own figure labels. The interpretations apply to the tested specimen; signals alone do not establish the identity of every similar-looking stone.
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Electron microscope image: This view shows small-scale regions selected for analysis. Its brightness contrast helps distinguish regions with different compositions; it is not a photograph of their natural colors. Numbered spots connect this view to the analyses listed in the report.
Laboratory figure caption: Fig.2: Backscattered electron image of an area of the specimen.
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Elemental spectrum: The peaks record characteristic X-ray signals from elements in the analyzed spot or area. This is an analysis of that location, not automatically of the entire specimen. Any mineral identification or uncertainty named in the laboratory caption is retained below.
Laboratory figure caption: Fig. 3: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 1 in Fig. 2. (quartz)
Read the complete report as text
Analytical Result Report
Sample id: 1120 (#4, green ‘amethyst’)
Submitted by: Soul Body Gems
Date completed: 1-29-2025
Operating conditions: An AMRAY 1830 SEM operated at 25 kV acceleration potential, 24 mm working distance, 0 degrees sample tilt, coated with 250 Å carbon, and also using the attached XRF unit operated at 30 kV.
Photograph of the specimen. Approximately 13.9 carats. Close-up of the inclusions on the right.
Fig.2: Backscattered electron image of an area of the specimen.
Fig. 3: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 1 in Fig. 2. (quartz)
Summary of findings: This specimen (Fig. 1) is pretty. The specimen is a bit odd to me, there are some odd two-phase inclusions, with a greenish solid and a liquid phase (Fig. 1). Chemically, it is quartz (Figs. 2 and 3). Iron is present in amounts of 0.15 wt. % and chromium up to 0.04 wt. %. The inclusions are not what I am used to see, in my opinion, this is man-made in hydrothermal pressure vessels. I could destroy the stone to get to the inclusions…
And don’t get me started on the name green ‘amethyst’!
Date: 1-29-2025 Signature
Read the original laboratory report as text
The following text and tables are transcribed from the original laboratory document. Figure captions identify the report images; the laboratory interpretations and limitations are preserved.
Laboratory report 1
Analytical Result Report
Sample id: 1120 (#4, green ‘amethyst’)
Submitted by: Soul Body Gems
Date completed: 1-29-2025
Operating conditions: An AMRAY 1830 SEM operated at 25 kV acceleration potential, 24 mm working distance, 0 degrees sample tilt, coated with 250 Å carbon, and also using the attached XRF unit operated at 30 kV.
Photograph of the specimen. Approximately 13.9 carats. Close-up of the inclusions on the right.
Fig.2: Backscattered electron image of an area of the specimen.
Fig. 3: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 1 in Fig. 2. (quartz)
Summary of findings: This specimen (Fig. 1) is pretty. The specimen is a bit odd to me, there are some odd two-phase inclusions, with a greenish solid and a liquid phase (Fig. 1). Chemically, it is quartz (Figs. 2 and 3). Iron is present in amounts of 0.15 wt. % and chromium up to 0.04 wt. %. The inclusions are not what I am used to see, in my opinion, this is man-made in hydrothermal pressure vessels. I could destroy the stone to get to the inclusions…
And don’t get me started on the name green ‘amethyst’!
Date: 1-29-2025 Signature