About
Amethyst is a beautiful purple-hued variation of the quartz gemstone.
It ranks high on the Mohs scale used by mineralogists to determine the
hardness of gems, which makes it one of the favored precious stones used
in jewelry. Amethyst is the birthstone for the month of February, and
is given in celebration of 4th, 6th, and 17th anniversaries.
Purple was once the favored color of royalty, as blue and purple hues
- before the advent of synthetic dyes - were once rare and therefore
quite coveted. In keeping with purple's allure, amethyst is a gem that
has been treasured by many, from the Russian Empress Catherine the
Great, to the 12th century German Benedictine abbess and saint,
Hildegard von Bingen, who believed amethyst beautified the skin. It was
even favored by the Catholic clergy, who held that amethyst symbolized
trust and piety.
Due to amethyst"s similarity to the color of wine, the ancient
Greeks once believed that the gemstone was a powerful antidote to the
effects of drinking alcohol. The greek work "amethystos" translates
literally to "not drunken." Greek royalty often drank their wine out of
goblets carved from amethyst, believing they would not become
intoxicated.
Don"t try this at home "� a beautiful amethyst is for wearing!
