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February
Birthstone: The Allure of Amethyst
Amethyst
is the birthstone for February and the anniversary stone for
the 6th year of marriage.
There
is a Greek myth associated with this purple colored member
of the quartz family, from which the stone derives its name.
Dionysius, the Greek god of drunkenness was vexed at by a
mortal and vowed to take his vengeance on the next mortal
that he saw. A lovely maiden named Amethyst happenend along,
on her way to pay homage to the goddess Diana. Dionysius mustered
up some deadly tigers to do his dirty work, but as they were
about to pounce on the unsuspecting young woman, Diana stepped
in. She turned Amethyst into a stunning quartz statue, making
her impervious to the claws of the tigers. Upon seeing the
beautiful statue, Dionysius ws said to have wept tears of
wine (it's a fable, ok?) that stained the statue purple.
As a result,
it has long been held that amethyst protects one from intoxication.
It is still a symbol of sobriety for those who wear it. Some
even say it will prevent baldness (I
should be so lucky)! It was also thought to encourage
celibacy, and since the Middle Ages it has been popular with
members of the clergy.
Amethyst,
being purple, has also been associated with royalty. The crown
Jewels of England feature many large amethysts.
It is
the most important member of the quartz family for jewelry
making. This stone ranges in color from lilac to deep purple.
Darker the colors are considered more valuable. Amethyst is
mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina and some African
countries. Brazilian amethyst tends to come in larger sizes,
but the African variety is most often of a darker color. Some
very dark amethyst is also mined in Australia, but these come
mostly in small sizes.
Amethyst
is a strong, durable stone. It goes well with both casual
and formal attire, so it can be worn every day in almost any
situation.
We carry
a huge variety
of jewelry in Amethyst on our website at indiasilver.com.
It is second in popularity only to Rainbow
Moonstone...
(This
article written by Mike McGinnis and published originally
on indiasilver.com.
We encourage republication but stipulate the piece be copied
in its entirety with links and attribution.)
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