My stones. Part V
14:46:00Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἀ a- ("not") and μέθυστος methustos ("intoxicated"), a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness; the ancient Greeks and Romans wore amethyst and made drinking vessels of it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication.
The color in amethyst is due to irradiation, which caused the iron ions present as impurities in quartz to rearrange themselves in the crystal lattice affecting the color in a reversible process.
On exposure to heat, the irradiation effects can be partially cancelled and amethyst generally becomes yellow or even green, and much of the citrine, cairngorm, or yellow quartz of jewelry is said to be merely "burnt amethyst".
Up to the XVIIIth century, amethyst was included in the cardinal, or most valuable, gemstones (along with diamond, sapphire, ruby, and emerald). However since the discovery of extensive deposits in locations such as Brazil, it has lost most of its value.
(Information taken from wikipedia and other sources on the internet)
All the pictures are of the stones and jewellery I own and taken by me.
If you fancy a piece of soutache jewellery with any of the stones on my website -- send me a message or convo me on etsy.
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