Amazonite: The Green Stone That Marks Every Green Dye in Your Profile

Amazonite jewellery has a soft, sea green colour that people either fall for at once or walk straight past. On a DesigNA piece, though, the stone has a specific job. Every value your DNA profile returns in the green dye channel becomes an amazonite stone along the strand. So the green is never decoration. It marks part of who you are. This post explains the stone, where it sits, and why it keeps its place at every size we make.

What amazonite is

Amazonite is a green variety of feldspar, according to geology.com. Its colour runs from pale mint to a deeper blue green, often with fine pale streaks through it. Unlike a faceted gem, a small polished amazonite sphere has no sparkle to lose, because its colour is the whole point. For a DNA piece, that matters. A stone that caught the light would shout. Instead, amazonite sits calm beside the lapis lazuli, garnet, citrine and amethyst on the same strand.

Traditionally, people have linked amazonite with calm and quiet courage. That is a belief, not a fact, and we make no claims for it. Still, it suits a stone that does its work without fuss.

Every amazonite we use is natural, never lab grown or imitation, and comes from established UK suppliers. You can read about the full set of five stones on our stones page.

Where amazonite sits on a DNA necklace

A DesigNA piece begins with a cheek swab you take at home. Then a UK laboratory with over 25 years in genetic testing reads 23 Short Tandem Repeat (STR) identity markers from it. These are the same kind of markers NIST STRBase catalogues for identity testing. Each marker has two values, one from each parent. The machine tags the markers in five fluorescent dye colours so it can tell them apart: blue, green, yellow, red and purple. Every value then becomes a stone in that dye's colour, placed along the strand by fragment size, smallest first.

So amazonite marks every value the green dye channel returns. Because position follows fragment size rather than colour, those green stones sit wherever their sizes fall, mixed among the other four colours. Two people might carry the same number of green stones. However, the spacing between them, and the colours either side, will differ, because the values differ. That is the design. We never decide where the amazonite goes. Your profile does.

Which markers ride in the green channel depends on the test kit, so we do not name them here. The signed certificate in the box does. It lists all 23 markers with the dye channel, both values and the fragment sizes for each. It also shows a drawn pattern of the strand, so you can see where every stone sits. If you want the longer version, read how DNA profiling works.

One stone, two sizes

The palette comes in two sizes. Necklaces and the twisted bracelets carry 4mm stones. The fine spider and clasp bracelets drop to 2mm, and at that size two stones change. Turquoise takes the blue role from lapis lazuli, and carnelian takes the red role from garnet. Amazonite stays, along with citrine and amethyst. Its soft green reads clearly at 2mm against 2mm silver spheres or 2mm pearls, and just as clearly at 4mm beside 5mm silver spheres.

So whichever piece you choose, the green dye channel always looks the same. In other words, a necklace and a fine bracelet from the same profile carry their green stones in the same order, only smaller on the wrist.

Caring for amazonite jewellery

Amazonite asks for very little. Warm water and a soft cloth will clean it. Never use an ultrasonic cleaner, and keep perfume away from the strand, because the pearls and the silver dislike it more than the stone does. After wearing, store the piece flat in its black jewellery box, where it lies in its double helix curve. Every piece also carries a six month warranty. For the full routine, see our jewellery care guide.

The Silver Sphere DNA Profile Necklace, £259

If you want the amazonite to show, put silver around it. At £259, the Silver Sphere DNA Profile Necklace sets your 4mm stones between polished 5mm spheres of 925 hallmarked sterling silver. A 925 silver spacer sits either side of each stone. Silver throws light, and the stones hold colour. As a result, the green sits quiet among the blue, red, yellow and purple, and the eye finds it on its own.

The necklace comes in 16, 18 or 20 inches, each with a 2 inch extender ending in a small stamped 925 disc. An oval silver DesigNA tag sits at the clasp end. Like every DesigNA piece, it finishes on an amethyst, because the last marker in the kit always lands in the purple dye. The kit arrives in 2 to 3 working days. Once the laboratory has your swab, the piece takes 2 to 3 weeks. UK tracked delivery is free on both the kit and the finished necklace.

Frequently asked questions