Famous Celebrities Who Wear Amethyst: From Royal Heirlooms to Red Carpet Glamour

Amethyst has a reputation as a quiet gemstone, yet it has appeared at some of the most visible moments in modern jewelry: a royal gala in 1987, a Golden Globes red carpet in 2024, and a royal brooch worn for decades by Queen Elizabeth II. This guide collects the documented examples, explains why a lilac-to-royal-purple quartz keeps catching the eye of stylists and jewelers, and shows how to borrow the look without borrowing the budget.

One note on method: celebrity jewelry is easy to misreport. We list only appearances that we could match to a named, reliable source, and we say so when a claim rests on a single report. Where a famous name is linked with amethyst online but we could not find a verifiable photo or credit, we leave the claim out rather than repeat it. The sources are listed at the end of the article.

Amethyst Basics: Why It Photographs So Well

Three practical traits help explain amethyst’s red-carpet appeal. It is relatively abundant, so very large, clean stones are available at far lower prices than comparably sized ruby, sapphire, or emerald. Its color pairs well with both warm and cool metals and with diamonds. And at Mohs 7 it is hard enough for rings and bracelets, though it can chip, so protective settings help. For more on the color range, see our guide to amethyst color variations and symbolism, and for the February stone itself, our February birthstone guide.

The Attallah Cross: Diana and Kim Kardashian

The best-documented amethyst piece of recent decades is a pendant cross made in the 1920s by the London jeweler Garrard, the same house that made Diana’s sapphire engagement ring. It combines amethysts with diamonds weighing about 5.25 carats in total. It later belonged to Naim Attallah, a friend of the royal family, and became known as the Attallah Cross.

Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana wore the cross on October 27, 1987, to a London charity gala, and Sotheby’s has said she wore it several times in the years that followed. According to the auction house, it was worn only by Diana and was not seen in public after her death until it came to sale.

Kim Kardashian

In January 2023, Sotheby’s London sold the cross to Kim Kardashian for $197,453, more than double its pre-sale estimate, after bidding among four buyers. Reports at the time described the sale as a headline moment for a piece whose design was bold enough to read as either faith or fashion. We have not verified later public appearances, so we do not describe any here.

What the cross shows is amethyst’s range: large, square-cut stones set in a formal design can carry the weight of a gala as well as any precious gem.

Oprah Winfrey at the 2024 Golden Globes

At the Golden Globes on January 7, 2024, Oprah Winfrey wore Chopard Haute Joaillerie earrings set with two amethysts totaling 97.39 carats, plus 3.10 carats of diamonds and 6.34 carats of pink sapphires. Coverage of the event linked the purple jewels to her support for The Color Purple.

Oprah’s birthday is January 29, which makes garnet her birthstone, so this was a stylistic choice rather than a birthstone one. It is a reminder that amethyst is worn for color and impact as well as for the calendar.

Royal Amethysts

Queen Elizabeth II and the Kent amethyst brooch

Queen Elizabeth II is not known as an amethyst devotee, but one piece stands out: the Kent amethyst brooch. It was part of a demi-parure, a matching set, assembled in the early nineteenth century for the Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria’s mother, and it passed to Victoria, who made the set an heirloom of the Crown. The brooch has a hexagonal amethyst framed by diamonds, with detachable pendants. The Queen wore it at Royal Ascot in 2013, and in 1985 she wore it with the set’s necklace and earrings at a state banquet in Portugal.

Catherine, Princess of Wales

Catherine wore green amethyst pear-drop earrings on October 22, 2026, during a visit to The Treehouse children’s hospice and Café 98 in East Anglia, according to Woman & Home. The publication did not name the maker. Green amethyst is amethyst that has been heated, and it is also sold under the name prasiolite. Commentators associate the green color with renewal and harmony, an interpretation rather than anything the Princess has said.

Catherine is a January baby, so garnet is her birthstone. Her sapphire engagement ring, which previously belonged to Diana, is the most famous stone in her collection. Our sapphire vs blue topaz guide compares that gem with a common look-alike.

Chopard and the Red Carpet

The Swiss jeweler Chopard has been an official partner of the Cannes Film Festival since 1998 and regularly lends colored-stone high jewelry to stars. Amethyst turns up in its red-carpet collections alongside tanzanite, tourmaline, sapphire, and diamonds. Individual pieces are difficult to trace to named wearers unless a publication credits them, which is why we mention only the Oprah pieces by name and do not list celebrities for other collections.

Famous February Birthdays

Amethyst is the February birthstone, so many February-born public figures are linked to it by birthday. A birthday is not evidence that someone wears the stone, and online lists often assume the connection. The names below are included only as well-known February birthdays; we have not verified specific amethyst appearances for them.

If you know of a verified amethyst appearance for any of them, we would be glad to add it with a credited source.

What the Examples Tell Us

• Size is the signature. The most memorable amethyst looks use big stones: a pendant cross, 97-carat earrings, a brooch with detachable drops.
• Amethyst plays well with others. It appears with diamonds, pink sapphires, and pearls, and in white gold, silver, and yellow gold alike.
• It isn’t confined to February. Oprah (January) and Catherine (January) both chose it, suggesting that the color matters more than the calendar.
• Documentation is thin for casual wear. Amethyst’s subtlety means many sightings are never recorded, which is why verified lists are short.

How to Wear Amethyst Like a Celebrity

1. Go larger than you think

Because amethyst is affordable relative to rarer gems, statement sizes are realistic. A single large stone in a pendant, cocktail ring, or drop earring gets the effect without a diamond-sized budget.

2. Choose the metal to set the mood

Yellow gold feels traditional, white gold or silver reads modern, and rose gold feels romantic. The Attallah Cross used white gold and silver, a reminder that amethyst needs no particular metal.

3. Consider color depth

Deep, even purple with flashes of red or blue is generally most valued, while pale lavender (sometimes sold as rose de France) is lighter and softer. Purple can flatter many complexions, but try pieces on, as lighting changes how amethyst reads.

4. Look at vintage and re-set pieces

Antique and estate amethyst jewelry is plentiful. A family brooch can be reset into a pendant, and vintage pieces often cost less than new designs. Have any older piece inspected by a jeweler for loose stones before regular wear. Our guide to safely cleaning amethyst helps you keep it looking good.

5. Wear it because you like it

The documented examples above include people whose birthday has nothing to do with February. You do not need the birth month to enjoy the stone.

Buying Amethyst: What to Check

• Natural, lab-grown, or imitation: lab-grown amethyst is chemically the same as natural, and glass or dyed material is not. Our guide on how to spot fake amethyst jewelry explains the differences.
• Amethyst vs purple quartz: trade names can blur the line; see amethyst vs purple quartz.
• Treatment: heating and irradiation are common and accepted when disclosed. Color that looks unnaturally uniform deserves a question.
• Setting: prefer secure prongs or bezels for large stones, and avoid exposing the stone to prolonged strong light or sudden heat, which can fade or alter its color.
• Price versus claim: a famous provenance can add to a piece’s price, but most amethyst jewelry is valued for beauty rather than resale. Treat “celebrity-inspired” as a style description, not a guarantee of anything.

For more ways to wear and gift the stone, explore our Birthstone Jewelry Guide and the wider gemstones guide.

The Purple Thread

From a 1920s Garrard cross to a pair of 97-carat Chopard earrings and a nineteenth-century royal brooch, the documented amethyst appearances share one thing: nobody wears it quietly. Amethyst’s name comes from a Greek word often translated as “not intoxicated,” and ancient writers connected the stone with sobriety and clear thinking, a tradition rather than a property of the gem. Whatever you believe about its symbolism, the stone is beautiful, available in generous sizes, and flexible enough to suit almost any design.

Sources

• NBC News report on the 2023 Sotheby’s sale of Princess Diana’s amethyst and diamond cross (price, maker, date worn).
• The Adventurine’s roundup of statement jewels at the 2024 Golden Globes (Oprah Winfrey’s Chopard earrings).
• Woman & Home coverage of the Princess of Wales’s green amethyst earrings (October 2026).
• Marie Claire reporting on the Kent amethyst brooch and Queen Elizabeth II.