PURPLE CRUSH
They’re not just for hippies and mystics anymore. Amethysts are putting a spell on everyone from boldfacers to Brooklyn hipsters
ERICA Weiner’s sample sales always draw le
tout o Brooklyn’s pretty young things, who flock to the designer’s Boerum Hill boutique to stock up on her heart-shaped pendants inscribed with rap lyrics and repurposed vintage trinkets.
But this summer, Weiner had a surprise or her bargain-hunters: amethysts, lots o them, in decorative Edwardian pendants, or in simple teardrop shapes dangling rom earrings or gold chains. And shoppers couldn’t get enough o them.
“Every time I post an amethyst piece on Instagram, it sells out,” Weiner says. The jeweler, whose ans include celebrities such as Lena Dunham and Karlie Kloss, launched her line in 2005, though she started buying and using amethysts only a year ago, when she started seeing them during her vintage buying sprees. “I started seeing these really beautiful amethysts at these estate sales and ound mysel gravitating toward them,” she says.
The purple quartz crystals often associated with little girls or hippies are having a moment, both on and o the red carpet. Singer Janelle Monáe arrived at the BET Awards in June wearingg a sparkly black-andwhite jumpsuit and our huge, unky amethyst rings. Naomi Watts sported a Bulgari necklace dripping in amethyst cabochons to Cannes in May. And Brie Larson picked up her Best Actress statuette at this year’s Os- cars in a cobalt Gucciucci dress cinched withh a pearl- and amethyst-encrusted belt.
“It’s really becoming seen as a fashionforward option,” says Amanda Gizzi of trade rade organization Jewelers of America, which has said many of its members have mentioned recent spikes in amethyst sales. “Especially among millennials who are just starting to collect jewelry and maybe can’t afford diamonds and emeralds.”
That’s partly why Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, resident Julianna Dow picked up a vintage am-i ethyst pendant on a rose gold chain at a recent Erica Weiner sale. “My birthstone is ruby, so that’s what I usually go or, but I saw this amethyst, and the cut was so lovely, the way it reflected the light,” says the 32-yearold ashion communica-
“Every time I post an amethyst piece on Instagram, it sells out.” — Jeweler Erica Weiner
tions professional, who scored the piece or $120. “And it was not a small stone . . . That’s one o the great things about amethysts: You can go way bigger than with a diamond or a ruby.”
The competitive price point also affords hip jewelers the reedom to create experimental, envelopepushing designs without breaking the bank. Brazilian designer Yael Sonia has won raves or her geometric pieces, such as deco-influenced cubed pendants and chunky gold cuffs accented with colorful gems. “I love using amethyst because the prettiness o the stone offers a nice contrast to my bolder pieces,” she says. “Adding lavender or purple gives them a touch o emininity that my clients look or.” Jeweler Melissa Joy Manning also uses the stone in surprising ways, such as in a severe shard earring with an ombré purple crystal that ades rom violet to an almost-translucent lilac.
“It’s incredibly interesting the way the crystal orms,” says Manning, who has shops in Soho and Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. “The color o the stone and its interesting texture, the way it captures the light. It can be either very rich or very delicate . . . I just really started embracing it.”
But amethysts, which were once considered more valuable than diamonds, have other benefits too. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed the gems warded o drunkenness, while hippies prized them or their magical, healing properties. “There’s definitely something witchy [and] earthy about them,” says Weiner. “And with Coachella style and the ’70s being back in ashion, it makes sense that people would be into amethysts again too.”
But Weiner also welcomes the trend on a personal level. “It’s actually my birthstone,” she says, “and I always elt like I had gotten the short shrift compared to someone who was born in April and got a diamond.”