Royal Amethyst: The birthstone of February
Whenever I see an Amethyst ring, I think of a schoolfriend of mine. While going through the last searing pains of giving birth to her first child, the doctor, who had a naughty sense of humor, asked her what stone in the ring was that she was wearing. She actually answered him through the moaning and handwringing: “Amethyst”! Knowing the temperament of women in labour, the doctor thought she would shout something nasty at him. Afterwards we all had a laugh about it.
A collage of contempory Amethyst jewellery:
Amethyst is a stunning purple quartz and thanks to its regal colour, it has been a favourite of royalty throughout the ages. It is found among the British Crown Jewels, European and Russian Royal Jewellery and was treasured by famous historical figures including Cleopatra, Catherine the Great and Empress Josephine of France.
Examples of antique Amethyst Jewellery:
Fine examples of Amethyst artefacts and jewellery have been found at Egyptian burial sites, falcons and scarabs were popular. Cleopatra swore by an Amethyst ring which she believed influential in her ability to captivate Marc Anthony and Julius Ceaser. Roman women began wearing Amethyst jewellery in hopes of preventing their husbands of going astray.
While the colour ranges from lavender to violet tones, the primary hue is 75 to 80% purple, with secondary hues of blue and red. The ideal-coloured Amethyst are called “Deep Siberia” or Deep Russian”. Not as hard as a diamond, which is 10 on Moh’s scale of hardness, with a hardness of 7, Amethyst is suitable for use in jewellery.
Considered to be a calming, meditative stone that enhances one’s intellect, streamline thought processes and encourages steady focus on the task at hand.
European Royals wearing age-old Amethyst Jewellery:
The name “Amethyst” comes from the Greek words “Amethystos methysko metho”, a phrase that means “not intoxicated” and refers to the believe that the stone protect its owner from drunkenness. In Medieval Europe, soldiers wore amulets of Amethyst, believing that it will keep them calm and focused as well as a form of protection during battle.
Ancient Greeks believe that the purple colour was caused by Dionysius, the god of intoxication and celebration. The tale goes like this:
Dionysius, angered by an insult, wow to punish mortals who refuse to partake in his gifts: wine and intoxication. A maiden named Amethyst crossed his path and refused to partake, as she was on her way to honour the goddess Diana. Dionysius became angry and summoned his tigers to devour Amethyst.
Amethyst called to Diana for help and to prevent the tigers from harming the maiden, she changed her into a crystal statue. Seeing the error of his ways, Dionysius wept into his wine and poured it over the statue. Amethyst turned into purple crystal and since that day, the stone was used as protection against intoxication.
The stone continues to indicate sobriety today. Anglican bishops wear episcopal rings set with Amethyst to represent the apostles state of sobriety at Pentecost. (Acts 2:15). It is also a stone favoured for the rings of Catholic clergy. Purple is the colour used in churches during Lent to reflect sorrow and suffering. Tibetans make Amethyst prayer beads as they consider the stone sacred to Buddha. Hindus associate purple with peace.
It was so interesting to explore the history of the Amethyst stone and to discover where all these interesting stories and folklore originate.
Till we chat again, love and light.
Shirley Rose
Sources: Pinterest for pictures; www.worthy.com; www.abcnews.go.com; en.wikipedia.org; www.crystalvaults.com