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Summary: Amethysts have a scintillating range of color. A wide range of purple characterizes this gemstone. The crystals as they occur in nature are in the form of sparkling clusters growing amidst chunks of quartz and other kinds of rock. The mineral manganese in quartz gives amethyst its special hue.
Amethyst is commonly known as the official birthstone for the month
of February; it is also the birthstone for the Zodiac sign Pisces. Amethyst is
usually gifted on the 4th, 6th, 17 Th, wedding anniversaries. Amethyst has been
a very popular gemstone through thousands of years owing to its almost
miraculous powers!
This lovely gem is not very expensive as it is freely available in nature, but
its loveliness of color and clarity is unparalled; other violet gemstones are
compared to Amethyst to make a comparison. Amethysts are very much the favored
choice of stone for jewelry of various styles. It is also used for ornamentation
purposes.
Let us get acquainted with the salient features that distinguish its peculiar
composition. Amethyst or SiO2 is transparent purple colored quartz. It is the
most important among all varieties of quartz. Amethysts occur mostly as long
prismatic crystals; in layman's terms it resembles a six-sided prismatic pyramid
like structure
on one side and ends in a pointed ending on the other. Amethyst has a hardness
of 7 on Mho's scale of hardness.
Amethysts have a scintillating range of color. A wide range of purple
characterizes this gemstone. The crystals as they occur in nature are in the
form of sparkling clusters growing amidst chunks of quartz and other kinds of
rock. The mineral manganese in quartz gives amethyst its special hue.
The lighter amethysts are known as rose de France variety, the deeper ones with
dense color and deep rose flashes in-between are the expensive varieties. Darker
hued amethysts have no need to be further enhanced or heat-treated; the lighter
ones are sometimes heat treated to citrine color. Most of the Amethysts that are
commercially available nowadays are normally heat treated to get a deeper
colors.
The color of the pure and expensive amethyst is a clear purple, but the normal
range of color in amethyst can vary from lilac, lavender, and mauve to even deep
purple and its intermediate colors. An" Amethyst geode " can be one of the most
arresting sights in nature for its sheer beauty. A huge piece of quartz studded
with sharp violet crystals with deep pink flashes in their hearts remind one of
nebulae ready to give birth to a million new stars! Top quality amethyst is a
deep purple stone with pink flashes.
No wonder the Amethyst has been a popular choice for the " Royals" of all ages,
its purple color echoing the colors of royalty. Amethysts paired with diamonds,
or set in platinum with other precious stones like emeralds and rubies have been
extensively used in the crown and state jewelry of all European royalty and have
similarly found pride of place in the huge jewelry collections of our Indian
princes and Maharajas.
There are various types of Amethysts like all other minerals. Experts,
geologists can distinguish varieties by shape and color. The" types of clusters"
are also pointers to the place of origin. Experts can identify localities from
where the amethyst specimen originated by its tint and hue.
The color, shape, cluster are key factors in determining the place of origin.
Amethysts are found extensively in many countries of the world. Vera Cruz from
Mexico, Guiro from Brazil and Mexico are prismatic crystal varieties. South
America boasts even larger crystals; Africa has smaller stones of deeper and
more intense colors whereas Australia has only smaller varieties. The Minas
Gerais from Brazil, Maraba from Brazil, Thunder Bay from Canada are other
popular varieties of this gemstone.
This gem is mined from South America, Africa, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina,
Bolivia, Zambia, and Namibia.
The origin to the name of this stone is the stuff of fable and legend! Greek
mythology is full of tales stranger than life. Amethyst's folklore and origin of
name has a fascinating story to it! The goddess Diana to save her from Bacchus
the Wine God's raging anger turned "Amethys" into a quartz statue. Bacchus shed
tears of remorse, when he saw the statue, and his tears stained the stone
transforming the statue into "Amethyst," a new stone! The word "Amethustos" in
Greek means, "not drunk", this could also be the origin to the name Amethyst.
The stone was therefore believed to have miraculous powers and ward off
intoxication. Curiously wine goblets were often fashioned out
of amethyst to keep the drinkers merrymaking for a while longer, and not be lost
to the world in a drunken haze!
The Amethyst is believed to transform lower negative energies to positive ones.
Religions of the world have vouchsafed for the stone's magical efficacy. The
church has used amethysts in rosaries; Bishops wear the stone in their church
regalia and rings to gain from its beneficial and healing, vibrations. The
Tibetans believe amethysts play a
significant part in their religious rituals.
No wonder this stone's popularity has frog leaped from being an exclusive item
used only by the rich and the famous to becoming an important fashion accessory
for our time.
Amethysts can be set in rings, bracelets, chokers, bracelets or any other
creative way, like embellishing lamp stands, jewelry watches, paperweights, the
sky being the limit to the innovative ways it can be used!
Last but not the least, Amethysts have become very popular for a very specific
reason. Amethyst's metaphysical properties have in recent times augmented its
use in meditation and healing sessions in gem crystal therapy. Its clear nature
causes
energies to flow easily through it aiding one to attain serenity, gain inner
peace and balance. It aids intuition and is considered the stone of wisdom. It
sharpens thinking, and is also believed to be a common aid to relieving
headaches, cure sugar imbalance, transform all lows and blues to a more positive
and constructive state of mind. Its almost magical efficacy in reversing the
negative emotions of anger and violence would make everyone wish to wear this
gem birthstone or not!
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