Dionysus, known for his love of grape juice, was the Greek god of wine; however after a few goblets he became a little confrontational. One day in the forest with goblet in hand, the tipsy Dionysus took insult from a passing mortal that refused to show him respect. The incident provoked his wrath and Dionysus swore revenge on the next mortal that he saw…
Along came Amethyst, a beautiful young maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. Dionysus targeted Amethyst as the object of his revenge, and with the snap of his fingers, he summoned two ferocious tigers to devour the girl. As Dionysus sat back to enjoy the spectacle, Amethyst cried out to her goddess Diana. Seeing what was about to happen, Diana transformed Amethyst into a glimmering pure white Quartz statue thus protecting her from the ferocious tigers. Moved with guilt, Dionysus realized the ruthlessness of his actions and began to weep with sorrow. As the tears dripped into his goblet, Dionysus collapsed, spilling the tear-tainted wine onto the statue of Amethyst. The white Quartz absorbed the wine's color creating the colored gem that we refer to today as Amethyst, the gemstone of the gods.
Legends and lore
With the mythology surrounding the origin of Amethyst, it is perhaps fitting that it was once considered a talisman to prevent drunkenness, which explains why wine goblets were once made from this gem. As the ancient Greeks often playfully manipulated words from other languages, it is possible that they jokingly converted the Hebrew word for a purple gem, "achlamath," to the Greek word "amethustos," meaning "not drunk," from which the modern name for Amethyst is derived. In legend, it is usually taken literally, as if the Greeks really thought Amethyst would prevent drunkenness.
Amethyst's shades of purple have served as a symbol of royalty throughout history. Pharaohs, kings and queens, as well as leading lights in religious sects have long treasured it because of its rich, royal color.
Interestingly, this fascination with the color purple dates back to Roman times when generals celebrating triumphs (and later emperors who never fought a battle) got to wear a "toga picta" (a bright purple toga with gold embroidery).
Because Amethyst was thought to encourage celibacy (it was believed to have a sobering effect not only on drunkards, but also upon those overexcited by passion), Amethyst was very important in the decoration of Catholic churches in the Middle Ages. Considered to be the "papal stone," even today bishops still wear Amethyst rings.
Many other qualities were attributed to Amethyst in the 15th century. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that Amethyst was able to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence. It was also believed to render people shrewd in business matters, preserve soldiers from harm and assist hunters in capturing wild animals.
The history of adornment can be traced back to the Minoan period in Greece (circa 2500 BC), where Amethyst has been found as polished cabochons set into gold rings. Popular in the 19th century, Amethyst was a favorite gem in art nouveau jewelry.
Just the facts
Colored by iron, Amethyst is a variety of macrocrystalline Quartz that occurs in transparent pastel roses to deep purples.
Like many other gemstones, the quality of Amethyst varies according to its source. Amethyst from the Americas can be found in large sizes as opposed to African Amethyst (typically mined in Madagascar and Zambia), which is sometimes small but carries a higher saturation in color. Dark, highly saturated Amethyst is also found in Australia. The now historic Siberian variety is deep purple with occasional red and blue flashes and commands the highest price. However, the most prolific origin is Brazil, and if we were to believe Dionysus' wine was indeed the source of its color, Brazilian Amethyst would have been born from the finest vintages.
First appearing in Europe in 1727, Brazilian Amethyst soon became highly fashionable and expensive. Amethyst was very popular in France and England during the 18th century and many affluent families invested large amounts of money in this gemstone. For example, a necklace of Amethysts was purchased at a very high price for Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), wife of George III of England.
The chief mining areas for Brazilian Amethyst are Minas Gerais, Bahia and Maraba. Neighboring Uruguay offers spectacularly beautiful varieties of Amethyst that were only discovered a few years ago.
Rose de France Amethyst (also known as Lavender Amethyst) is the name for Brazilian Amethyst of a pastel lilac pinkish hue. Rose de France Amethyst was a very popular Victorian gem and while Rose de France Amethyst frequently appears in antique jewelry, it is currently experiencing a revival in popularity as part of a general awakening to the beauty of pastel gems.
Multi Color Amethyst beautifully melds the regal purple lavenders of Amethyst with the ice whites of White Quartz in one gem. Multi Color Amethyst occurs because of environmental changes during formation. At different times, the color-causing element (iron) was incorporated into the crystal, causing different color layers. Purposely cut to showcase this feature, Multi Color Amethyst is generally judged by the balanced contrast between its colors. Cutting the gem so both colors show is sometimes challenging for cutters. While notoriously difficult to cut consistently, a well cut multicolored gem is a real delight.
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