subject: Contemporary Fashion Jewelry Using Amethyst [print this page] Throughout history, the color purple has been associated with peace, tranquility, and most importantly royalty. It should come as no surprise therefore that through the ages, many kings, queens, and other members of royal families the world over have had a strong preference for amethysts in their jewelry collections. Royal family and high priests in Egypt and Greece were especially fond of this wonderful gemstone. High quality polished amethysts have been recovered from archaeological sites in Greece and Egypt, providing ample proof to archaeologists and historians of the popularity of amethysts in these ancient civilizations. Catherine the Great and other members of the British monarchy were also very fond of amethysts. There are Biblical references to amethysts, and there is irrefutable proof that Greeks used amethysts for jewelry and adornment as early as 2500 BC.
Amethysts are often associated with life. This is because of their color. They are often associated with violets, some of the earliest flowers to bloom during the spring. People born under the zodiac signs of Pisces and Scorpio consider this stone to be auspicious. It is also considered to be the birthstone for February. The origin of amethyst is quite interesting. The word comes from ancient Greek amethustos, the general translation of which is accepted to be "not to be drunken". In ancient Greece therefore, people believed that if they consumed alcohol from a cup or chalice of amethyst, they would be immune from inebriation. There is of course, no scientific basis for this claim! Metaphysists believe that this gemstone can control evil thoughts, calm tempers, and make the wearer more insightful and intelligent.
Amethysts are a form of crystalline or macrocrystalline quartz. This term is used to describe quartz where the individual crystals can be seen by the naked eye, as opposed to microcrystalline or crypto-crystalline quartz where the crystals are too small to be seen by the naked eye or even under moderate magnification. Quartz by itself is a colorless mineral, and any color seen in quartz crystals (including amethysts) is a result of secondary minerals of impurities. In the case of the amethysts, the secondary minerals are manganese and iron. The purple color of amethyst comes from its manganese content. The intensity of the color of a particular specimen on the other hand, is controlled by its iron content. The higher the iron content, the deeper the color, and more intensely colored stones are generally preferred over light and subtle colored ones.
