Rose De France (Pink Amethyst)

Rose de France is the nomenclature given to the light pink Amethyst. I had this little drop of information about Rose de France and I had set out on an expedition to exhume all the information. My quest of knowledge started with this meager description and I set out to explore.

The information unveiled in almost all sites on Internet describes Rose De France as small mauve colored quartz, the origin of which origin dates back to Victorian era. Though no book on gems and jewelry makes use of this name, I found that JCK Jewelers' Dictionary, published in

1977, refers to it as Brazilian quartz. This puts an end to my curiosity about Rose De France's origin. But, was that enough for my knowledge thirsty soul? I guess not!

My encounter with Jeanenne Bell had been futile. Last decade saw her publish seven books on jewelry; one of them is from Krause Publishing. It was but obvious that she was to become my first target in getting information. Though she proved to be of very little help to me with Rose De France, having caught sight of my disappointment she directed my attention towards era. She informed me that it could not have been before later part of 1880s for the popularity of Rose De France gem to gain momentum. In 1920s and 1930s, she says, that light colored gems became fashionable. But she was still not confirmed whether it was the same gem which was the target of my exploration. Bell blamed three things responsible for the misleading information on Internet about Rose de France. One, it could mean that pale amethyst trend is in a cycle. Two, some jeweler had a large stone to sell and third could be that some designer wanted to make the gemstone Rose De France popular. She went on to say that Internet could sometimes display misleading information to create hype about something and that one should not follow it like Bible.

Lidia M. Rubenstein of Los Angeles, California, was in possession of several varieties of amethyst jewelry that belonged to her mother. She enlightened me on the fashion trend in 1930s. She told that their gems were used in Argentina. Rose de France referred to the light pinkish color that was lighter than pink amethyst. Rose de France was used mainly by middle and upper class people. She also mentioned that the stones called Rose de France were synthetic and set in Buenos Aires in 18k gold. Well that was a lot of information for a curious soul!

My next destination was Steven Adler of Gems of the Past, East Hampton, New York. She found a reference to Rose de France in the third edition (1974) of Robert Webster's Gems by Robert Webster on page 340 that lists Rose de France as a manufacturer's trade name for lilac-pink synthetic corundum.

There are several varieties of amethyst. Rose de France is light pinkish in color and is found in South America and many other places. Amethyst occurs in primary hues from a light slightly-pinkish violet to a deep grape purple. Rose de France may exhibit one or both secondary hues, red and/or blue. The ideal grade is called "Deep Siberian" and has a primary purple hue of around 75-80 percent, 15-20 percent blue and (depending on the light source) red secondary.

Digging deeper into the history of this little-known gem called Rose de France, I found out from Cesar Habib, that this gem was famous in France 20 years ago. It was known as Fleur de France, but thereafter no demand of it was felt.

Though, the popularity of Rose de France in ancient times was not much, its modern demands are spelling success. Designers like Nak Armstrong of Anthony Nak, Austin, Texas reports tremendous success. Rose de France gem set very nicely with any metal and gem, this enhances the overall beauty of the jewelry.

Though market for its subtle elegance so limited, Rose de France still holds a soft corner among people who like to stay away from gaudy pieces. But the poetic named gem is yet to get its due respect and popularity. You can find the beautiful jewelry made with Rose de France gems at almost all leading jewelry stores. Pink Amethyst earrings, pendants and rings for both and women can be readily found at various jewelry outlets. The Rose de France can be fitted easily into sterling silver, white gold and yellow gold making it durable.

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