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.
The color purple has been revered by many throughout history. It was the favored color of royalty, as blue and purple dyes were hard to come by and only royalty could afford to wear such brilliant colors. Due to amethyst’s similarity to the color of wine, the ancient Greeks once believed that amethyst was a powerful antidote to the effects of drinking alcohol. The word amethyst translates literally to “not drunken.” The Greeks often drank their wine out of goblets carved from amethyst, believing they would not become intoxicated.
Don’t try this at home – your beautiful amethyst is for wearing!
