Amethyst is a precious stone that is purple or violet in nature. Amethyst has been present since the beginning of history and the ancient Greeks thought that it had supernatural properties to ward off intoxication. In fact, the word amethyst has its roots in Greek meaning not to intoxicate. Today amethyst is a popular precious stone used to enhance beautiful jewelry.
Amethyst is actually quartz a popular stone that varies in color. Amethyst gets its brilliant color of purple and violent due to manganese. Amethyst being quartz can be heated and its color can be changed. Heated amethyst can turn yellow which is sometimes referred to as Citrine.
Although amethyst is a precious stone, due to the abundance of mining for this stone it has dropped considerably in value. However the quality of amethyst being mined is still top quality. There are two popular types of amethyst sold to consumers. Rose de France is a pale violet or a pinkish color, while this stone is very beautiful the most prized amethyst stones are those that are deep violet and may include red. This type of amethyst is called Siberian amethyst mainly because most of this type of amethyst comes from Siberia, Russia. However, Siberian amethyst does not have to come from Russia to be given this title.
Amethyst is mainly used for beautiful jewelry. Amethyst is a common stone used in many religious artifacts and jewelry mainly by the Catholic religion which associates it with spirituality. In fact, many upper echelon clergy usually have an amethyst ring.
For people who are born in February, amethyst is its birthstone and is cited for its heavenly understanding by those that are into astrology. Aquarius and pieces are some of the many people that adorn themselves with this wonderful looking stone. No matter what meaning you give to it, amethyst is a wonderful looking precious stone that will make any ring, earrings or bracelet exquisite.
