100 Gems - February birthstone amethyst

Brazil's Banco Central launched the "100 Gems" commemorative polymer series in 2023 to highlight the country's position as one of the world's leading gemstone producers — a genuine commercial and geological reality, not merely symbolic promotion. Amethyst is an appropriate choice for the February note: Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state supplies a substantial share of global amethyst output, much of it from the vast geode deposits around Ametista do Sul, a municipality essentially built on the trade.

The polymer substrate was supplied in keeping with Brazil's long-running relationship with polymer currency technology, having issued polymer notes since the early 2000s commemorative runs.