Classification: Semi-Precious stone
Colour: Violet/pale red violet
Hardness: 7
Fluorescence: Weak; greenish
Transparency: Transparent/translucent
History and Lore
The provenance of the name “amethyst” is probably one of the more disturbing gemstone origin stories out there. This stone’s name is derived from the ancient Greek word amethustos, which translates to “not intoxicated” or “sober”. The name is based on the story of a young virgin named Amethyst. Amethyst, through no fault her own, infuriated the drunk God Dionysus, by refusing his advances. While running from him Amethyst desperately pleaded for help to the Goddess Diana. In response Diana turned the poor girl into a sparkling pure white stone.
After finding out that the girl had been permanently transformed into an inanimate object just to escape him, Dionysus became ashamed of his unruly and savage behaviour.In his remorse Dionysus’ tears overflowed his goblet of red wine, which then spilled over and soaked the white stone until it became a rich purple. quartz. It was said the sorrow-stained stone could prevent the bearer from becoming overly drunk and could instill a clear and mindful mentality. That is both devastatingly sad and disturbingly fascinating.
Surprisingly enough, this idea of amethysts imparting sobriety is not just a Greek ideology, but an ancient Egyptian one as well. In ancient Egyptian astrology the sign of the Goat was represented by an amethyst, and the goat was believed to be the enemy of grape vines and vineyards. Make sense, since goats eat pretty much everything. And thus, the goat-personified amethyst was seen as the antidote for wine induced drunkenness. They even believed that drinking from a cup made of amethyst would stop one from becoming drunk entirely.
Over the years the literal and spiritual meaning of the amethyst changed, but still remained a source of goodness and purity. In the Middle Ages the jewel was worn by Catholic clergymen as a symbol of piety and chastity. During the Renaissance the jewel embodied humility and modesty. At one-point amethysts were only worn by the aristocracy, because purple became a colour only royals could wear. It’s said that the semi-precious stone was Catherine the Great’s favourite accessory. Today in holistic medicine amethysts are used to relieve headaches. No matter the time period or region this mystical wine-stained stone has been believed to heal and represent a mindfulness of ideology.
Colour
Purple is the primary colour of this gemstone. But it is important to note that it does come in various shades of purple ranging from the palest of lilac to the darkest of royal violets.
For the most part it is a transparent stone, meaning while there is visible colour you can still clearly see through it. But it can also be translucent, meaning you can only partly see through it. Don’t worry both of these states are completely natural. However, if you are looking to get the highest quality of amethyst, you would want to follow the general rule of thumb for measuring the quality of colour stones: the richer in colour and clearer the stone, the better. Now when I say richer, I mean you want that perfect balance of well saturated but not too dark and not too light. That tends to be slightly darker than the medium shade.
Origins
Hardness
Care and Maintenance
To properly care for you amethysts, wear them with care and be mindful not to hit them off of any hard surfaces. And be sure to store them in a dark place when you aren’t wearing them, or else that brilliant purple colour that you love so much will fade in the light over time like that of many other coloured gemstones.
Since we already learned that amethysts are susceptible to heat, we know that to clean the stone we don’t want to use any heat-based methods. Since the hardness of the stone only being a 7, heat-based methods such as steam cleaning will make the stone crack and/or chip. To properly clean your amethyst jewelry, we recommend that you use lukewarm water, gentle fragrance-free liquid soap, and a very soft toothbrush. This will allow you to get into all those tight nooks and crannies where dirt builds up, as well as ensuring the integrity of your amethyst.
As always, we suggest that you take your piece to get a check-up once or twice a year. Just like the human body a piece of jewelry needs to be inspected every now and then by a professional to keep it well maintained and make it last much longer.
Conclusion
The history of the amethyst is a sobering – pun intended – and thought-provoking story. It has led to the permanent incorporation of the gem in society. Whether as a means of accentuating one’s beauty, clearing one’s mind, or connecting one’s self to their spirituality, the amethyst is a stone that will bring joy and comfort to anyone.