The short answer is: Yes. Amethyst can go in water.
What follows is an explanation as to why, and also some other tips for folks who are new to working with stones and crystals.
Can Amethyst Go In Water? (EXPLAINED)
Putting Stones/Crystals In Water
People come at this question from all sides, depending on what it is you are planning on doing with the amethyst.
It could be that you have found some amethyst while hiking or rock hunting, and are looking to clean it up.
It could be that you have purchased or been gifted some jewelry with amethyst in it, and are trying to brighten it up.
Perhaps you are delving into the metaphysical side of rocks and crystals, and are thinking of putting your amethyst into your drinking water or bathtub.
While there are physical vs metaphysical reasons, we recommend that you start with the physical reasons.
Metaphysical reasons can become a matter of experience/opinion.
The physical reasons are absolute and hard to refute.
Physical Reasons Why Some Crystals/Materials Cannot Go In Water
There are many reasons that contribute to why some materials can safely come into contact with water and some cannot.
As an initial matter, some materials cannot go in water because sitting in water causes the materials to crack or dissolve. This can be the case when the material is very soft or porous.
A simple dunking in and out might not cause major damage. But sitting in the water for long periods of time could destroy the shape of the stone, and could also cause them to lose their finish, shine, or even coloring.
The Mohs Hardness Scale is often a place beginners are recommended to start.
For example, if your material is very soft (in the range of 1-5), the general recommendation is that the stone is not a material that should sit in water for long.
However, this isn’t the end of the discussion. Just because a material is a 6 or harder, it doesn’t mean that you are safe and can just throw your stone in a water bath.
Other stones should not go in water because, due to the amount of metal in the stone (such as iron), the stone will actually rust.
The rusty stain can spread across the stone, discoloring at it goes. While you can clean some of the rust off, sometimes the rust can get deep into cracks and cannot be removed.
Still other stones may react negatively in water. Malachite is a prime example of this.
Due to its composition (made up primarily of copper), submersion in water causes the creation of toxic fumes, or the metal leeches into the water.
It can be pretty harmful to inhale those fumes, get that copper water on your skin, or consume it.
How Can Amethyst Go in Water?
Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz. In general, amethyst is thought to be a water-safe material.
Amethyst rates a 7 on the Mohs Hardness scale, making it a fairly hard and durable material, and not one that would be likely to dissolve or be damaged by water.
Assuming your pieces doesn’t have lines of other materials in it, you don’t have to worry about rusting or bad reactions with water either.
That being said, amethyst may not do well with abrupt temperature changes.
If you are planning on moving your stone from very high temperatures (like boiling water) to cold (ice bath) or vice versa, this could cause the stone to crack.
Cleaning Amethyst Jewelry
For those of you who are looking into amethyst and water to determine how to clean your material, in general we recommend that you start with the stone and a cloth.
Try rubbing/buffing the stone to see if it cleans up.
If not, we recommend cleaning with warm soapy water (like dish soap).
Nothing fancy. This should be enough to clean up the grossness that comes with wearing a piece of jewelry a lot.
The main thing you want to avoid is doing any cleaning of the stone that will impact the finish/polish/seal if there is one.
This is why we don’t recommend that you clean your jewelry with anything stronger than soap.
It is pretty common for people to want to drop their pieces into a vinegar bath, or even a mixture of hydrogen peroxide.
With amethyst, in general we don’t recommend going beyond soap and water unless you know what you are doing.
Why Put Amethyst In Water?
Aside from cleaning, many people like to place a simple piece of amethyst in their drinking water.
Why?
Amethyst is though to cleanse and remove negative energy, relieve stress, balance mood swings, dispels fear and anxiety, heal physical ailments, and activate spiritual awareness. Among many, many other things.
People like to place pieces of amethyst around their home, office, or living space, place it in the bath with them, as well as wear or carry a piece of the material with them.
It is thought that soaking with the crystal or drinking water that the crystal has been soaking helps transfer all the good that the stone has to offer.
Which Stones Should Not Go In Water?
This is not an complete list, but here are some stones which should definitely not go in water:
- malachite
- selenite
- azurite
- halite
- fluorite
- ammolite
- black tourmaline
- talc
- fire opal
- pyrite
- magnetite
- hematite
- jade
Other Ways to Cleanse Amethyst
If you are going to try and avoid submerging your amethyst (or any other stones) for metaphysical purposes, you can try:
- burying the stone in the earth (allowing the dirt to touch the stone)
- placing it in the light of the moon
- laying it on a bed of fresh herbs
- smudging
- burying the stone in dry brown rice
- meditation
Ultimately, you might have to try several of these methods until one seems to resonate with you and the stone.
Looking for gift ideas for someone studying geology? Our guide has several great suggestions plus helpful links to the product so you can check out the reviews.
You might also like:
- Hunting Amethyst In Alaska
- How Rare Is Amethyst?
- Amethyst vs Tanzanite: What’s The Difference?
- Is Amethyst Toxic?
