Amethyst

Amethyst is the "official" birthstone of February. It's a popular gemstone in jewelry, especialy rings, pendants and necklaces.

What Is Amethyst?

Amethyst is a form of quartz which is usually purple in colour. It used to be considered one of the "cardinal" (most valuable) of gemstones, however more recently new deposits have made it more afordable to buy.

The basic formula of amethyst is S_iO₂. The coloration is largely due to inclusions of iron. Although amethyst is basically purple, the exact colour ranges between various shades of lilac and violet.

When heated amethyst changes colour to a yellow green shade. These varieties are known by names such as green amethyst, prasiolite or vermarine.

14k Yellow Gold Amethyst
w/ Diamond Drop Earrings

Symbolism and Lore

Purple has long been associated with power and wealth. For instance the Roman emperor's robe was dyed purple, we have phrases such as "born to the purple", etc. Being a purple stone that was rare in ancient times amethyst also shares these connotations.

Amethyst is thus associated with royalty and with the trappings of privilege such as an easy life. It is a gem of luxury said to bring peace, happiness and spiritual wisdom.

Another interesting property associated with amethyst is sobriety. The Greek for amethyst was amethystos which means "not drunk". The stone was thought to protect against drunkenness. For this reason goblets were sometimes made of amethyst. There's no record as to whether this was successful - probably the drinkers were in no state to record the results!

The association between amethyst and sobriety is said to have come from a Greek myth involving Dionysus, the well-known hedonist and all-round party animal. As usual there are many variations of the tale, here is one:

One day a human insulted Dionysus and in revenge he swore to set fearsome tigers on the next mortal that crossed his path. That mortal was the maiden Amethyst who prayed to the goddess Diana to save her from the tigers' claws. Diana turned Amethyst into a statue of pure white quartz, an action which preserved her beauty but not her life. When Dionysus realised what he had done he wept tears of wine in remorse. Where his wine red tears ran down the statue and stained it, purple amethyst was created.

Combining the attributes of spiritual wisdom and sobriety, some people have also associated amethyst with purity. It's been credited in folklore with the ability to prevent evil thoughts and to fight poison as well as having some healing properties.

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