Soviet Amethyst Cut Gemstones

These are hydrothermal amethyst, labgrown material sourced from an old Soviet-era collection. Under Dr Sternberg, the Alexandrov lab in the USSR was at the cutting edge of quartz crystal growth, using its piezoelectric properties for radios and clocks.

Later, they branched out into growing amethyst, citrine, and other quartzes.

Unusual for our site, these particular crystals were originally grown for jewelry, not for science.  Some of them have smoky zones or areas of more intense color, this is common for hydrothermal growth, especially for stones which include portions of the seed plate, and means hydrothermal growth has a more 'natural' look than many other growth methods.