Published May 2014  •  Updated February 2024  •  Read Time: 8 minutes
Banded Amethyst, also known as Chevron Amethyst and Dogtooth Amethyst, is a lovely crystal which combines the powerful peace of purple Amethyst with the amplifying powers of Quartz.  If some parts of the crystal are translucent, it may have stripes of Amethyst, Clear Quartz and/or Snow Quartz.  If the crystal is fully opaque, then it will only be Amethyst and Snow Quartz.  The bands can be straight lines or sharp peaks, depending on how the crystal grew.  Banded Amethyst’s energy is a little bit more gentle than pure Amethyst.  It helps us feel safe and cozy while we step into our power and take on a greater spiritual awareness.

Banded Amethyst chevron amethyst meaning

Banded Amethyst Meaning

Spiritual Healing Properties

Banded Amethyst combines the high spirituality of Amethyst with the incredible amplifying power of Clear Quartz and the gentle support of Snow Quartz. Together they create a unique energy for wisdom, self-reflection and personal growth. Banded Amethyst provides us with the soulful strength we need to follow our spiritual callings, even if there is some discomfort along the way. It is especially good if we have left the faith of our childhood behind and are embracing a new understanding of Truth and Light. Banded Amethyst helps us to assess what we have learned and to test our beliefs against reality. It asks us to carefully check if our words, actions and beliefs match the moral code we claim to follow. It asks us to notice what is Good and what brings long lasting peace into our life and the lives of others. Banded Amethyst also heightens intuition. It can show us how to tap into the power of unseen forces and our own psychic gifts. As such, it is a particularly good healing stone for anyone interested in spiritual/energetic healing, such as Reiki.

Metaphysical Properties Banded Amethyst
Chakra Third Eye and Crown
Element All
Numerology 7
Zodiac All

Emotional Healing Properties

Banded Amethyst has a warm and soft energy, which is gentler than pure Amethyst, helping us to feel cozy and safe. It breaks up any negative energy that has gotten trapped in our heart or mind, causing us distress and making us feel small. Banded Amethyst reminds us of our royal nature and bows down to us so that we can confidentially step into our power. It is especially supportive if we need help identifying the root causes behind negative behaviors and emotional patterns. It shines a bright light directly on the source of our discomfort and then swings the light over to us so that we recognize where our power needs to be brought into play. Banded Amethyst reminds us that oftentimes simple changes, if they are the right change, can have an enormously positive impact. While it might not be easy to make changes, Banded Amethyst assures us that it will always be worth it to prioritize peace and healing. Banded Amethyst asks us to please stop resisting those things which serve our Highest Good. When we step into our power, we truly embrace the life and Higher Self that will bring us the greatest satisfaction and contentment.

Mental Healing Properties

Banded Amethyst encourages clarity and realistic optimism. It helps us to see that there is a positive solution for every problem and that struggle is not always required. It is a wonderful stone for manifestation, helping us move from merely thinking and talking about the things we wish to accomplish, to actively engaging in the work. Banded Amethyst is fantastic tool for understanding abstract ideas, making it a useful talisman for philosophers and scientists alike. It encourages us to think clearly and thoroughly, and to carefully check our conclusions to make sure they match reality. If something doesn’t make sense, Banded Amethyst asks us to hold off on making any decisions or beliefs, until we understand better. It reminds us that a half-baked idea or a poorly-thought-out conclusion will never be in our best interest. Banded Amethyst asks us to value truth and understanding, and to avoid mental laziness.

Physical Healing Properties

Banded Amethyst is recommended for anyone who wants to focus on general health and preventative care. It reminds us that it will always be easier to maintain good health if we take care of problems swiftly when they first come up, rather than waiting for a big crisis to force us into action. Banded Amethyst is particularly good if we are worried we are becoming an alcoholic so we can cut back, rather than allowing a drinking habit to grow out-of-control. If we need to make serious changes to improve our physical and mental health, Banded Amethyst helps us to make wise choices and to follow through. It reminds us that we get to choose whether the habits of today remain the habits of the future. It is a particularly good talisman for insomniacs who need to take control of the mind and body. It is also a soothing talisman during a headache or whenever we are experiencing physical discomfort in our head or ears.

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Banded Amethyst Mineralogy

Where does Banded Amethyst come from?

Pure Amethyst is the most valuable variety of Quartz, and Banded Amethyst is often found alongside it.  Notable deposits include found Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Uruguay, United States, and Zambia.

Mining and Treatments

Quartz is found all over the world and may be a primary or secondary mineral in a mining operation.  In most cases, Amethyst is the only variety that is valuable enough to justify a mine devoted to its extraction.  Other quartz varieties are typically mined in tandem with other precious metals and minerals, but by themselves wouldn’t be valuable enough to justify the work.  For example, many Gold mines also extract a sizeable amount of Clear Quartz.  Likewise, an Amethyst mine may be focused on the purple gem, but will also produce Citrine and Smoky Quartz.  Generally, the Quartz is found in its primary location still associated with its igneous rock matrix.  Sometimes the Amethyst is pure purple, but oftentimes it is mixed with other varieties of Quartz.  When it is striped with Snow Quartz, it is called Banded Quartz or Chevron Quartz.

Amethyst Placeholder
Amethyst

The Environmental & Social Impact of Crystals

Your crystals should have a healing energy that is clean, powerful, & makes a positive difference.

Mineral Family

Banded Amethyst is a type of Quartz and a Silicate mineral.  Silicate minerals are the largest family of minerals, including more than 25% of all known minerals and 40% of all common minerals. In addition to being a major part of the Earth’s crust, silicate minerals have also been found on the moon and in meteorites. Silicates are minerals which contain the elements silicon (a light gray shiny metal) and oxygen (a colorless gas). Together, these two elements form a tetrahedra – a shape similar to a pyramid – with a silicon atom in the center and oxygen atoms at each of the three corners. These tetrahedra connect with other chemical structures, in six different ways, to form a wide variety of minerals and rocks.  There are six main groups of silicate minerals, and these main groups are further subdivided into secondary subdivisions, such as Quartz and Feldspar.  The Quartz family has two main main groups, macr0-crystalline and micro-crystalline.  The macro-crystalline minerals form large well-shaped crystals that are often transparent, while the micro-crystalline only form microscopic crystals and are always opaque.  Banded Amethyst combines purple Amethyst with white Snow Quartz.

Amethyst’s energy works well with its family – other macrocrystalline Quartz minerals.  Try it in combination with AmetrineCitrineClear QuartzPrasioliteRose Quartz, and Smoky Quartz.

Banded Amethyst Formation and Crystal Associates

Quartz crystals are created when liquid magma from a volcanic eruption cools down and transforms into igneous rocks. During this cooling down period, silica acid bubbles shift from being a gas/liquid into a solid compound. The bubble becomes a hollow space in the igneous rock and the silica acid becomes Quartz crystals.  Once the Quartz has formed, a large hollow is often called a “druze,” while a smaller hollow is a “geode.”  These druze and geodes can be removed from the host rock and then split open to revel the crystals inside.

If no trace elements are present to change its color, the silic acid becomes Clear Quartz or Snow Quartz.  If trace minerals are present, then the color changes.  For example, Amethyst, Citrine, and Prasiolite typically all get their color from trace particles of iron heated to different temperatures.

Banded Amethyst’s energy works well with its “friends” – crystal associates formed in the same geological environment.  Try it in combination with Hematite and Snow Quartz

Mineralogy Banded Amethyst
Chemical Formula SiO2
Cleavage None
Color Purple
Crystal System Hexagonal/trigonal
Form/Habit Prismatic
Fracture Conchoidal
Hardness – Mohs Scale 7
Luminescence Pale yellow, white, or blue (short and long wave)
Luster Vitreous
Mineral Family Tectosilicate
Specific Gravity 2.7
Streak White
Transparency Translucent to opaque

History of Banded Amethyst

Amethyst has one of the oldest and most detailed historical traditions of any healing stone. It is included in virtually every known lapidary, texts which describe gemstones and their powers. Some of the most ancient traditions concerning Amethyst date back to the very dawn of human civilization and probably originated long before that! For centuries, gem dealers in the Old World considered Amethyst to be one of only five “cardinal gemstones,” comparable with Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. These cardinal gemstones were considered so rare that only the very highest echelons of society could hope to own one. However, in the 18th century, large Amethyst mines were discovered in Brazil and soon flooded the market, thus transforming Amethyst from a “precious” to a “semi-precious” stone.

Amethyst is sometimes found mixed with Clear Quartz and Snow Quartz.  Depending on the clarity of the Quartz and on the shape of the layers, the crystal may be called by a variety of names including: Banded Amethyst, Chevron Amethyst, Dogtooth Amethyst, and Phantom Amethyst.  The layers may be in straight lines, or in peaks and waves, depending on if the conditions were favorable for the Quartz to form distinct crystals.  The white areas probably formed more rapidly, while the Amethyst formed more slowly and had more trace particles of iron in the silica.

The word “chevron” means a line in the shape of a V, or an inverted V.  It is often used as a badge to signify ranks in military services.  For example, in the US Marines, the lowest ranking member wears one chevron, while a Corporal wears two chevrons, and a Sergeant wears three.  The word chevron is derived from the Latin caper, meaning goat, because the V-shape resembles goat-horns.  The zodiac sign Capricorn, symbolized by a goat, comes from this same root.  The French word for goat and the English word for goat cheese is “chevre,” which looks very similar to chevron.

There are numerous myths associated with Amethyst.  For more information, please see the longer history article on Amethyst

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