Written by Sarah B. - Friday, February 26, 2016
A legend derived from Greek mythology says that Dionysus (the god of wine) was insulted by a man, which irritated him greatly. He thus swore revenge on the next mortal that would cross his path. With this aim in mind, he created fierce tigers. Along came the innocent Amethyst, a beautiful young maiden on her way to pray. Diana turned her into a statue of immaculate crystal (quartz) to protect her from the tigers’ claws. At the sight of the magnificent statue, and faced with the cruelty of his act, Dionysus found himself filled with remorse. He shed tears of wine which stained the quartz purple, thus creating the gem we know today.
It is also said that amethyst is the gemstone of kings because when placed at the bottom of a water cup it mimics the color of wine, therefore allowing the king to make his court drink while staying sober…
From a more scientific point of view, amethyst is a type of quartz which owes its color to traces of iron associated with strong irradiation. It is always embedded in a rock and that is why geodes are easily found. The color is very intense on the crystal tips and they are extracted so they can be cut and faceted. At the beginning of the 20th century, significant deposits were discovered in Brazil, in the region of Rio Grande Do Sul, and in Uruguay, which brought amethyst to light. Since then, there have been amethysts from Madagascar, Zambia, Bolivia, Sri Lanka, and even from France, in particular the Auvergne region. Because it is quite hard – it is rated a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale – it is often used in jewelry and may take various forms: cabochons, pearls, briolettes, faceted cuts… but make sure not to confuse it with other purple stones such as fluorite, beryl or spinels. Even so, be careful because there are also synthetic amethysts.
Some citrines are heated amethysts, however it is possible to get a green tint called prasiolite, or a “girasol” (milky appearance) with the same process. If you have a stone with an amethyst part and a citrine part, it is called an amtrine and comes from Brazil or Bolivia but then again, there are synthetic stones so you should seek professional advice. FYI, amethyst is also an edible mushroom which owes its name to its color!
Sarah B –