A good amethyst can be hard to come by. Often, the noble stone is grouped in with other gemstones such as citrine and garnet, two stones I do not care for. Another issue that comes up is the color of the amethyst - you want a true light purple, not washed out lavender or too dark faux stone. These earrings are simply perfect. They are a good size (about an inch) in a J shape. They are not heavy on the ears, but have a big stone presence. When I wore these, I received several compliments as they were a good match to my outfit and had a good amount of sparkle. When people asked where they were from, they couldn't believe they came from Amazon! I will recommend these to my friends, as well as you the reader. These would be perfect for a working woman to add some classy sparkle to an outfit, or a great gift for a February baby. I will be purchasing other pieces in the Amazon.com collection, as the quality and price are tops!