Jewelry with amethyst stones was prized by Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Anglo-Saxons. A Roman amethyst cameo Amethyst HistoryĪmethyst was widely used as gemstone in antiquity, and held value so high that the gem was classified amongst the precious stones, competing with diamond, sapphire, ruby and emerald. The name amethyst refers to the violet variety of quartz, in the same way that citrine applies to the yellow. What makes an amethyst crystal different from clear quartz and all other varieties? The difference is in the color. Quartz is a hard transparent stone known as rock crystal when colorless and clear. While the gemstone is called amethyst, the mineral is in fact a variety of quartz. In other lore, it is said that Sant Valentine the patron saint of romantic love wore an amethyst ring carved with the image of Cupid.Source: Rob Lavinsky, – CC-BY-SA-3.0 Hexagonal amethyst crystals Amethyst Properties The medieval European soldiers wore amethyst jewelry as protection in battle in the belief that amethysts heal people and keep them level headed. The Greek word "amethystos" may be translated as "not drunken", from Greek a-, "not" + methustos, "intoxicated". The ancient Greeks carved goblets of amethyst in the belief that it would prevent intoxication. Because of its wine like color, early Greek legends associated amethyst with Bacchus, the god of wine. ![]() ![]() It’s said that there were ten stones upon which the names of the tribes of Israel were engraved, and amethyst is believed to have been one of such stones. It is even thought that the breast plate of the high priest of Israel was adorned with an amethyst as its ninth stone. Members of the Catholic clergy wore amethyst stone in their crosses because their amethyst meaning was one of piety and celibacy. It’s color was meant to symbolize royalty and an allegiance to Christ. Christian bishops once wore amethyst jewelry in the form of a ring. As such, it was highlighted as part of their crowns, scepters and rings. Their belief was that the amethyst crystal meaning was synonymous with luxury. These ancient civilizations placed a high value in this stone. The Neolithic people in Europe now view it as a mere decorative emblem around 25,000 B.C., Ancient Greeks and Romans used amethyst in several ways from beads in jewelry to amulets. This gemstone has a rich history of astonishing civilizations with its stunning, saturated beauty. One of the biggest examples of a gemstone misnomer today is "green amethyst" which should never be called amethyst. All other gem quality quartz should not be termed amethyst. Amethyst also commonly shows what is called color zoning, which in the case of amethyst usually consists of angular zones of darker to lighter color. Its purple color can be cool and bluish, or a reddish purple that’s sometimes referred to as “raspberry.” Amethyst’s purple color can range from a light lilac to a deep, intense royal purple, and from brownish to vivid. It’s the gemstone that’s most commonly associated with the color purple, even though there are other purple gems such as sapphire and tanzanite. Today amethyst is found in many places including Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico, Africa, Canada, Russia, USA and Europe.Īmethyst is the purple (and only purple) variety of the quartz family of gemstones. It’s no wonder that fine amethyst adorns the fingers of bishops as well as the coronation regalia of British royalty. Amethyst was as expensive as ruby and emerald until the 19th Century, when Brazil’s large deposits were discovered. Thus, if one was born in the month of February, and one wears an amethyst (one's "birthstone"), one should attract good fortune.ĭespite being abundant today, amethyst has been one of the world’s most revered stones for many centuries. The wearing of one's birthstone is traditionally thought to be lucky. ![]() George Frederick Kunz, in The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, states that the custom began in Poland during the 18th century. Oddly enough, the idea of wearing one's birthstone - that is, wearing a piece of jewelry containing the gemstone associated with the month one was born in - appears to be much more recent. ![]() The idea that certain birthstones were associated with certain months goes back at least to the 1st century CE. And people began to select birthstones in colors other than the original. In time, birthstones became associated with calendar months rather than the zodiac. Color was thought to unleash the power attributed to the birthstone. Tradition associates a gem with each sign of the zodiac based on a color system. For instance, amethyst was said to prevent intoxication. Some minerals were thought to contain a force or possess certain values and powers. Early civilization as far back as the Assyrians (1400 BC) invested rare and beautiful gemstones with magical properties.
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