Colors Encyclopedia

Named color

Amethyst

Amethyst color #9966CC: RGB 153, 102, 204 and HSL 270°, 50%, 60%. Explore its cool purple profile, contrast, CSS, palettes and harmonies.

#9966CC purple cool balanced
HEX #9966CC
RGB rgb(153, 102, 204)
HSL hsl(270 50% 60%)
CMYK cmyk(25, 50, 0, 20)
Luminance 0.2063
Contrast Black 5.13:1White 4.1:1

Use this color

Create with Amethyst

Open a professional color tool with #9966CC already applied. Each configuration stays canonical to the tool and can be adjusted or shared.

All color tools
Generate palette & CSS variablesCreate 50–950 tokens and export CSS, SCSS, JSON, or Tailwind.Open configured tool →Open in Gradient StudioStart with Amethyst and its complementary color.Open configured tool →Mix this colorBlend it with a complementary color and copy color-mix() CSS.Open configured tool →Check contrastOpen the strongest black or white background pairing.Open configured tool →Accessible combinationsReview AA and AAA text options, alternatives, warnings, and UI guidance.Open configured tool →Create glass surfaceUse this color as the tint for a translucent UI panel.Open configured tool →

CSS Utilities

--color-amethyst: #9966CC;
.bg-amethyst { background-color: #9966CC; }
.text-amethyst { color: #9966CC; }
Open CSS utility pageReusable variables, classes, examples, and implementation notes

Color history, meaning and use · Editorially reviewed

About Amethyst Color

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz, so the color name begins with a gemstone rather than a standardized paint formula. Gem material can occupy a broad violet-to-purple range, which is why historical objects and modern color systems do not always attach the name to exactly the same hue.

The gemstone reference gives Amethyst a more mineral and luminous character than a generic purple. In digital products it can support beauty, wellness, cultural, and premium themes, while darker companions make it feel more ceremonial and pale neutrals emphasize its clarity. GIA also notes that prolonged exposure to strong light or heat can affect some stones—a material behavior that does not apply to the digital swatch.

The HEX value is a stable screen reference within the wider family of colors seen in natural amethyst.

WCAG Accessibility

Contrast checks for Amethyst against black and white text.

Black text5.13:1AA Pass
White text4.1:1AA Fail
AA text options#000000
AAA text optionsNone in seed set
Open WCAG pageDetailed contrast notes, warnings, alternatives, and UI examples

Downloadable color reference infographic

Amethyst Color Reference Infographic

Save a high-resolution infographic of Amethyst, including its color values, coordinated palette, and black and white text contrast.

1200 × 800
Amethyst color reference infographic showing #9966CC, RGB and HSL values, a coordinated palette, and black and white text contrast.
Amethyst color reference infographic generated from the verified Colors Encyclopedia dataset.
Download WebPDownload SVGOpen full size

Color Harmonies

#99CC66#99CC66#6666CC#6666CC#CC66CC#CC66CC#CC9966#CC9966#66CC99#66CC99
Open full Amethyst harmony pageComplementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic sets

Variants

#C7ABE3#C7ABE3#6B36A1#6B36A1#9950E2#9950E2#997CB6#997CB6#D9CBE6#D9CBE6#AD5CFF#AD5CFF

Pairings

Black#000000#99CC66#99CC66#6666CC#6666CC#CC66CC#CC66CCMatte Black#1A1A1AWhite Smoke#F5F5F5

Machine-readable data

Machine-Readable Color Data (JSON)

Perfect for CSS, design systems, automation, and AI ingestion.

AI-Ready Dataset v1.0.0
Luminance0.2063
Black text5.13:1AA Pass
White text4.1:1AA Fail
hexCanonical HEX value
rgbRed, green, blue channels
hslHue, saturation, lightness
cmykApproximate print conversion
wcagAA and AAA contrast options
harmoniesMathematical harmony sets
variantsGenerated tone variants
nearestColorsKnowledge graph neighbors
Download JSON Open API
Structured sections
Color systems
{
  "hex": "#9966CC",
  "rgb": [
    153,
    102,
    204
  ],
  "hsl": [
    270,
    50,
    60
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    25,
    50,
    0,
    20
  ],
  "luminance": 0.2063,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 5.13,
    "white": 4.1
  }
}
WCAG
{
  "AA": [
    "#000000"
  ],
  "AAA": []
}
Harmonies
{
  "complementary": "#99CC66",
  "analogous": [
    "#6666CC",
    "#CC66CC"
  ],
  "triadic": [
    "#CC9966",
    "#66CC99"
  ],
  "tetradic": [
    "#CC6666",
    "#99CC66",
    "#66CCCC"
  ],
  "splitComplementary": [
    "#CCCC66",
    "#66CC66"
  ],
  "monochromatic": [
    "#C7ABE3",
    "#9966CC",
    "#6B36A1"
  ]
}
Variants
{
  "light": "#C7ABE3",
  "dark": "#6B36A1",
  "saturated": "#9950E2",
  "desaturated": "#997CB6",
  "pastel": "#D9CBE6",
  "neon": "#AD5CFF"
}
Pairings
{
  "best": [
    "#000000",
    "#99CC66",
    "#6666CC",
    "#CC66CC"
  ],
  "avoid": [
    "#997CB6",
    "#C7ABE3"
  ],
  "neutral": [
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#F5F5F5",
    "#E8E8E4"
  ],
  "highContrast": [
    "#000000"
  ],
  "lowContrast": [
    "#C7ABE3",
    "#997CB6"
  ]
}
Knowledge graph
{
  "nearestColors": [
    "medium-purple",
    "medium-orchid",
    "medium-slate-blue",
    "orchid-purple",
    "slate-blue"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "amethyst"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "amethyst-vs-medium-orchid",
    "amethyst-vs-medium-purple"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/purple",
    "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
    "/colors/by-tone/balanced"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/amethyst",
    "/wcag/amethyst",
    "/css/colors/amethyst",
    "/hex/9966cc",
    "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
    "/tools/color-palette-generator",
    "/tools/css-color-mixer",
    "/tools/contrast-checker"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/purple",
      "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
      "/colors/by-tone/balanced"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/amethyst"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/medium-purple",
      "/colors/medium-orchid",
      "/colors/medium-slate-blue",
      "/colors/orchid-purple",
      "/colors/slate-blue",
      "/compare/amethyst-vs-medium-orchid",
      "/compare/amethyst-vs-medium-purple",
      "/harmonies/amethyst",
      "/wcag/amethyst",
      "/css/colors/amethyst",
      "/hex/9966cc",
      "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
      "/tools/color-palette-generator",
      "/tools/css-color-mixer",
      "/tools/contrast-checker"
    ]
  }
}
Full JSON dataset 
{
  "slug": "amethyst",
  "name": "Amethyst",
  "hex": "#9966CC",
  "uses": [
    "beauty branding",
    "creative systems",
    "premium accents"
  ],
  "psychology": {
    "associations": [
      "creativity",
      "depth",
      "softness"
    ],
    "contexts": [
      "beauty",
      "wellness",
      "luxury",
      "creative tools"
    ],
    "avoidIn": [
      "strict operational dashboards"
    ]
  },
  "aliases": [],
  "sourceType": "curated",
  "confidence": "medium",
  "reviewStatus": "manual",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/assets/colors.json",
  "origin": {
    "type": "common",
    "notes": "Curated common color reference used in design and editorial color systems."
  },
  "family": "purple",
  "temperature": "cool",
  "tone": [
    "balanced"
  ],
  "editorialNotes": "Curated internal color record with computed technical properties.",
  "tags": [
    "purple",
    "cool",
    "balanced",
    "beauty-branding",
    "creative-systems",
    "premium-accents",
    "creativity",
    "depth",
    "softness"
  ],
  "popularity": 80,
  "rgb": [
    153,
    102,
    204
  ],
  "hsl": [
    270,
    50,
    60
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    25,
    50,
    0,
    20
  ],
  "luminance": 0.2063,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 5.13,
    "white": 4.1
  },
  "harmonies": {
    "complementary": "#99CC66",
    "analogous": [
      "#6666CC",
      "#CC66CC"
    ],
    "triadic": [
      "#CC9966",
      "#66CC99"
    ],
    "tetradic": [
      "#CC6666",
      "#99CC66",
      "#66CCCC"
    ],
    "splitComplementary": [
      "#CCCC66",
      "#66CC66"
    ],
    "monochromatic": [
      "#C7ABE3",
      "#9966CC",
      "#6B36A1"
    ]
  },
  "variants": {
    "light": "#C7ABE3",
    "dark": "#6B36A1",
    "saturated": "#9950E2",
    "desaturated": "#997CB6",
    "pastel": "#D9CBE6",
    "neon": "#AD5CFF"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#000000"
    ],
    "AAA": []
  },
  "css": {
    "variable": "--color-amethyst: #9966CC;",
    "utility": ".bg-amethyst { background-color: #9966CC; }",
    "textUtility": ".text-amethyst { color: #9966CC; }"
  },
  "nearestColors": [
    "medium-purple",
    "medium-orchid",
    "medium-slate-blue",
    "orchid-purple",
    "slate-blue"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "amethyst"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "amethyst-vs-medium-orchid",
    "amethyst-vs-medium-purple"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/purple",
    "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
    "/colors/by-tone/balanced"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/amethyst",
    "/wcag/amethyst",
    "/css/colors/amethyst",
    "/hex/9966cc",
    "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
    "/tools/color-palette-generator",
    "/tools/css-color-mixer",
    "/tools/contrast-checker"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/purple",
      "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
      "/colors/by-tone/balanced"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/amethyst"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/medium-purple",
      "/colors/medium-orchid",
      "/colors/medium-slate-blue",
      "/colors/orchid-purple",
      "/colors/slate-blue",
      "/compare/amethyst-vs-medium-orchid",
      "/compare/amethyst-vs-medium-purple",
      "/harmonies/amethyst",
      "/wcag/amethyst",
      "/css/colors/amethyst",
      "/hex/9966cc",
      "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
      "/tools/color-palette-generator",
      "/tools/css-color-mixer",
      "/tools/contrast-checker"
    ]
  },
  "pairings": {
    "best": [
      "#000000",
      "#99CC66",
      "#6666CC",
      "#CC66CC"
    ],
    "avoid": [
      "#997CB6",
      "#C7ABE3"
    ],
    "neutral": [
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#F5F5F5",
      "#E8E8E4"
    ],
    "highContrast": [
      "#000000"
    ],
    "lowContrast": [
      "#C7ABE3",
      "#997CB6"
    ]
  }
}
Dataset manifest Version 1.0.0 Build hash published in manifest Canonical page

Similar Colors

Medium Purple#9370DB
Medium Orchid#BA55D3
Medium Slate Blue#7B68EE
Orchid Purple#B565A7
Slate Blue#6A5ACD

Related Color Guides

Purple color familyBrowse named purple colors and compare nearby swatches.Cool colorsExplore colors with cool temperature behavior.Balanced colorsFind colors with balanced visual character.Amethyst accessibilityCheck contrast and WCAG text options for #9966CC.Amethyst CSS utilitiesUse Amethyst in CSS variables and utility classes.#9966CC HEX atlasOpen the permanent HEX atlas record for conversions and variants.Amethyst paletteOpen the generated palette based on Amethyst.Amethyst harmoniesExplore complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic harmonies.