Amethyst is the birthstone of February. The early civilization of Greek and Rome believed that the Amethyst has the power to ward off drunkenness while keeping a sound and alert mind. Among Leonardo da Vinci's writings, he stated that the amethyst improves intelligence and shields the wearer from evil thoughts. The word Amethyst is derived from the Greek which means "without drunkenness".

Symbolism: Purity of spirit, stone of peace, clarity, peacefulness

History of Amethyst

The Amethyst has a rich history. With its deep purple color and known properties of healing, it had been associated with the royalties and the religious sector. Various cultures have highly regarded the stone, from the Ancient Greeks and Romans, Egyptians, Buddhists, and the Chinese culture.

The Amethyst was valuable and expensive up until the 19th century. But when large deposits of amethyst were found in Brazil, the discovery led to the stone's significant decline in value. Even so, the stone remained popular in jewelry pieces.

Properties

Amethyst has varying colors ranging from the well known deep purple to the lighter shades of lavender and pink. The most valuable among the Amethyst colors is the strong reddish purple hue. The color of an amethyst is not stable and can be lost with prolonged exposure to sunlight.

The Amethyst is a type of crystalline quartz with excellent clarity scale, no inclusions are seen by the naked eye, and it has various cuts as well as carat weights. It usually comes in the form of six-sided crystals. It appears in numerous metamorphic and igneous rocks, specifically gneiss and granite.

Amethysts are found mostly in countries of the U.S.S.R., Southern Brazil, Uruguay, Madagascar, Western India, the United States, Australia, South Africa, South America and Southwestern Sri Lanka.