How We Clean Our Amethyst

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The most common question we get at the Blue Point Amethyst Mine is: "How do you clean your amethyst to look so good?" Below is exactly how we do it!

**ATTENTION/DISCLAIMER, this is not instructions or recommendations on how you should clean your own Amethyst. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. We take no responsibility for anyone attempting to replicate our process.**

First we start by getting all the dirt and clay off the Amethyst. We use water and a plastic scrub brush for this step.

Dunking the Amethyst in water, and using a tight circular motion we scrub until all the earth is gone from the piece and out from between the crystal points. 

If stubborn clay is hardened on, we soak in warm water first to help loosen the material and make things easier. 

The second step is getting the rust off of the Amethyst. While the earth can be removed with water,  more is needed to remove the oxides from the specimen. For this we use the powdered version of "Iron Out", but not before donning personal protective equipment: long heavy duty rubber gloves, goggles, and a rubber apron. 

Preparing the solution:

To prepare our cleaning bath we need a few things. We start outdoors with a container large enough to submerge our specimen(s) and fill it with clean or distilled water. Iron Out will bleach wood, clothing, carpet, and more. So we do this outside in old clothing.

Next we sprinkle in Iron Out Powder into the water a little at a time, and then stir the solution until the powder is fully dissolved and turns clear. We repeat this process until the powder no longer dissolves, this means the solution is fully saturated and ready to go. 

Soaking in the solution:

We carefully place our amethyst in the solution, taking care not to crowd them or knock them together. Next we place a lid tightly overtop because if debris such as dirt and leaves fall in, it will taint our mixture. 

They'll be left to sit for 8 to 12 hours, so the Iron Out can do its job. 

Next we rinse and scrub again. After soaking, we remove our Amethyst from the solution. Dunking in water and scrubbing with a brush we ensure all the softened iron is removed. 

If the specimen doesn't shine and sparkle, we place it back into the solution and repeat step 2 before progressing. Some very stubborn pieces may take 2 or 3 soaks before they really twinkle in the sunlight, but that's ok because we aim for perfection!

If we are satisfied with our sparkle, at this point our cleaning is done and our Amethyst is ready for it's forever home. 

Once we mix our solution, we will use the same baths for weeks to clean our Amethysts. How do we get it to last so long? With a few simple practices.

1. No Contaminants

We keep a tight lid on our solutions, making sure that no debris such as leaves or twigs fall in. 

2. Proper Removal Of Earth

We rinse and scrub our Amethyst until no dirt is left on our specimens. 

3. Agitating

Each day once a day, after we remove all our specimens we agitate our solution. Stirring vigorously helps stop the solution from settling and forming deposits in the bottom. Only after this do we add our next rotation of Amethyst!

4. Freshening 

Each day once a day, we also add a sprinkle of Iron Out Powder into our solution to freshen it up. As the surface oxides soften on our specimens, our solution is slowly used up. Adding a small amount each day prevents the bath from "running out" of cleaning power as quick as it normally would. This helps to extend its life.