Amethyst is Always a Favorite

Beautiful purple amethyst, the birthstone for February, associated with power and wealth, 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.  Rumor has it that amethyst was a personal favorite of Queen Catherine the Great of Russia.

In popular belief, the amethyst offers protection against drunkenness - for the Greek word 'amethystos' means 'not intoxicated' while the Hebrew word for amethyst is achlemah, meaning "that which gives pleasant dreams".

This beautiful crystal quartz gemstone also poses riddles for the scientists which still haven't been completely solved to this day. The amethyst has its hardness (7), its moderate refraction and its weight in common with the other quartzes, but the crystal structure is different and unconventional. The construction is stratified, as a result of which areas and lamellae of varying colour intensity often come about. This explains why there are relatively few large cut amethysts of an evenly distributed dark colour in spite of its having been found so abundantly in all parts of the world. It is only in the last few years that scientists have been fairly certain of having found the real cause of the colour. It is now attributed to certain iron constituents in connection with natural radioactive radiation.

Some amethysts pale almost to colourlessness in daylight. The reason for this has not yet been discovered, but it is possible to re-colour them by means of radium radiation. The fact that these stones can lose their colour makes it obvious that amethyst jewellery should not be worn while sunbathing, in a solarium or in a discotheque with black light. Sudden changes of temperature can also be harmful to the stone.

Amethyst is a variety of quartz and varies in color from pale lavender to a deep, rich purple. The presence of manganese produces Amethyst, while varying amounts of iron content vary the purple intensity. Amethyst is found all over the globe and in every country, but the deeper colored amethyst are found in Uruguay, Siberia, Africa and Colorado.

Amethyst is a stone of "Spirituality and Contentment". It balances the energies of the intellectual, emotional and physical bodies and bestows stability, strength, invigoration and perfect peace.  It brings one serenity and composure in decision making. Amethyst is also a 'Stone of Meditation'.

Moses described amethyst as a symbol of the Spirit of God in the official robes of the High Priest.

As you can see from the photos, amethyst is used in all kinds of jewelry and is also one of the most economically priced gemstones.  That and the many tints and shades of amethyst please a variety of people.  Visit our Ebay store or visit us in person at our Humble, TX store to choose your favorite!