We also use these cookies to understand how customers use our services (for example, by measuring site visits) so we can make improvements.
The amethyst is the birthstone for February.We use cookies and similar tools that are necessary to enable you to make purchases, to enhance your shopping experiences and to provide our services, as detailed in our Cookie Notice. In Tibet, the amethyst is considered to be sacred to Buddha and rosaries are often fashioned from it. It was considered to be the stone of bishops, who still often wear amethyst rings. Because amethyst was thought to encourage celibacy and symbolize piety, it was an important ornament of Catholic and other churches of the Middle Ages. The amethyst is mentioned in the Bible as one of the 12 stones adorning the breastplate of the high priests of Yahweh. Fine amethysts are featured in the British Crown Jewels and were also a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. Amethysts have been used since the dawn of history to adorn rich and powerful monarchs and rulers. The color purple is traditionally the color of royalty. At the sight of the beautiful statue, Dionysus is said to have wept tears of wine, staining the quartz deep purple and creating the gem amethyst. Diana turned Amethyst into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from Dionysus's tigers. After Dionysus created tigers to carry out his plan, a beautiful young maiden named Amethyst appeared on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. Dionysus, the god of intoxication, was angered one day by an insult from a mortal and swore revenge on the next mortal he encountered. The legend of the origin of amethyst comes from the Greeks. Wine goblets were often carved from them, and the gemstone still symbolizes sobriety to this day. The name "amethyst" comes from the Greek meaning "not drunken," and amethysts have long been considered to be strong antidotes against drunkenness. An amethyst's physical properties are the same as those of other quartz rocks. As mineral specimens, they are popular for their color and for their lovely amethyst crystal shapes that display handsome, purple, sparkling clusters. The deep colors are the most valuable, particularly a rich purple with rose flashes.Īmethysts can occur as long prismatic crystals with a six sided pyramid at either end or can form as druzes, crystalline clusters, which display mainly their numerous pointed terminations. The pale colors are sometimes called "Rose de France" and can often be seen set in Victorian jewelry. Its color is unparalleled, and even other, more expensive purple gemstones are often compared to its color and beauty.Īlthough the crystal must always be purple to be an amethyst, it can and does present a wide range of purple shades from pale lilac to deep purple. The presence of manganese in quartz produces its characteristic purple color, and additional iron content varies the coloration.
The amethyst is a transparent, coarse-grained, purple variety of quartz (SiO2) and has long been the most important quartz variety used in jewelry. View amethysts on DesertUSA's store at Amazon
0 kommentar(er)
