Amethyst

Amethyst, the February birthstone is the most loved member from the Quartz family. This gem is much admired for its pleasing violet hue. The name comes from ancient Greek ‘amethystos’ which means ‘not drunken’, as these stones were believed to protect its wearer from drunkenness.

Given its royal violet color, this gem has adorned many a powerful personnel all through history. The ancient Romans wore Amethyst as a talisman. Moses described its beauty by referring to it as ‘Spirit of God’. Russian Empress, Catherine the Great, was known to be passionate about these astounding gems. This beautiful gem is also associated with Buddha and so these stone became the sacred stones for making rosaries.

Scientists attribute the spectral color of these gems to the presence of iron constituents and certain natural radioactive elements. Amethysts are found in various shades of violet. The pale color is also referred to as ‘Rose De France’ and it is often seen as part of Victorian Jewelry. The intensely colored amethysts are highly celebrated.

Unlike many other precious stones, deposits of amethyst are relatively abundant in nature. Amethysts that come from Brazil and Uruguay are highly prized for their fine quality. Very dark, but small crystals of amethyst are mined in Australia. Some other sites where this gemstone is mined are Madagascar, Africa, United States, Soviet Union and India.

This gemstone is also the zodiac stone for ‘Pisces’ and is believed to protect its wearer from the extremes of passion. These stones come in a variety of shapes and cuts, are moderately hard (7 on Moh’s scale). These brilliant stones given their mesmerizing color, relative abundance and availability in large sizes make them a much coveted gem for modern jewelers.

Amethysts are also associated with 6 years of marriage and are symbolic of wisdom, peace and protection. Given their large sizes, these stones make excellent center pieces.

Just one word of caution, these gems tend to fade when exposed to heat and strong sunshine for long durations and hence they must be protected from the same.

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A sense of pure bliss engulfs you if you treat your eyes to the enticing purple Amethyst. This stone is the birthstone of people born in the month of February and was once considered more valuable than diamonds. The gemstone gets its name from the Greek word for ascetic meaning strict or severe. The Greek accredited the stone with powers to protect from intoxication and this is the reason that even now they serve alcohol in goblets made of Amethyst for they believe it will limit them from debauchery. Amethyst has always been thing of fascination for the royalty presumably due to its enchanting hue.

Amethyst is affiliated to many properties like boldness, peace, devotion, stability, confidence and honesty. This stone is also seen as a symbol of spirituality and hence is used to decorate churches and other places of worship, along with being used in ornaments worn by men of religious importance. It occurs within rocks in the form of crystals. Countries blessed with the reserves of this gem stones include India, Madagascar, Russia, Sri Lanka, USA, Canada and Australia.

All these qualities associated to amethyst are almost because of its soothing purple hue. When you gift someone an amethyst, you give them a mark of guardianship and the power to overcome bad times. Amethyst can also serve as an ideal engagement, valentine or wedding gift as this stone is also said to have powers that strengthen the bond of love. There sure are a lot of powerful properties tagged to this enticing stone .Besides all these interesting information about this gemstone it is its soothing purple beauty that will knock you off your feet.