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February - AmethystOur precious amethysts have a rich deep vibrant purple that is extraordinary. They're like grapes on steroids. So even though chain store amethysts are bland and uninspired doesn't mean that yours has to be.
You might even claim one as your personal color...no matter what month you were born in.
Come see if our amethysts are a color that touches your soul, in a Perrywinkle setting starting under one hundred dollars.
Amethyst Education:
One of the most beautiful forms of quartz, amethyst is a transparent, purple gemstone and the birthstone for February.
The presence of manganese in quartz results in a purple color ranging from pale lilac to deep reddish purple. The paler low grade shades are often referred to as Rose de France, while the darker purple colors that you'll see at Perrywinkle's are more valuable and sometimes referred to as Siberian, although no amethyst is actually mined in Siberia today.
South American, (mostly Brazilian) stones are found in large sizes, but generally poor to moderate in color and often suffer from color-banding. Most, but not all, Perrywinkle amethysts are the more richly colored stones coming from Zambia.
...At hardness 7 and with no particular warnings on care necessary, amethyst makes a fine jewelry gem for all purposes. Lower grades of material are cabbed, carved, and made into a great variety of beads and other ornamental objects.
Gemology
Amethyst is the name for a purple quartz.
Crystal Structure
Crystal system: Hexagonal (trigonal), compact.
PROPERTIES
Refractive Index 1.544-1.553
Hardness = 7 (Moh's Scale)
Specific Gravity = 2.66
Optic Character = Double Refraction
Phenomena - None
History
Amethyst has an ancient Greek origin and translates as "amethystus" meaning not drunken. They are found on the British Crown Jewels and other monarch's jewels. They were a personal favorite of Catherine the Great. During the Middle Ages, they symbolized piety and celibacy and therefore adorned the rings of Cardinals, Bishops, and Priests.
Amethyst played a strong role in ancient Egyptian commerce whereby the government doled out gifts to the middle class and farming families, evidenced in lower and middle class Egyptian cemeteries with findings of gold jewelry and fine amethyst necklaces buried within their tombs.
In the Old Testament, twelve stones had been chosen to be representative of the twelve tribes of Israel. Among these stones amethyst was chosen as the gem representing the tribe of Dan, one of Joseph's sons. Amethyst is one of the twelve stones adorning the breastplate of the high priest Aaron. This tendency towards the number twelve became the first association of a particular semi-precious gem with each month that had been recorded.
Lore
Amethyst was thought to protect soldiers, ensure victory, aid hunters, protect against diseases, control evil thoughts, and improve intelligence. It is considered to be a surface cure for headaches and toothaches and was used to increase spirituality.
Amethyst originates with the Egyptian God Dionysus and the goddess Diana. Dionysus, the god of wine, celebration, and intoxication became insulted by a mortal who had refused to acknowledge his power. So Dionysus vowed to unleash his fury upon all mortals who did not partake in his gifts of wine and drunkenness. He spotted a young pure young maiden named Amethyst who was unfamiliar with being intoxicated. While on her way to pay homage to the goddess Diana, Amethyst was detained by Dionysus, who summoned two tigers to devour her while he sat back with his wine to watch. Amethyst cried out, so Diana quickly transformed Amethyst into a white quartz to protect her from the Dionysus' wrath. Dionysus realized the malevolence of his actions and began to weep with remorse. His tears dripped into his goblet and the tear-tainted wine ran out onto the quartz stone from the tipped cup. The white stone then absorbed the color from the wine creating the stone now called amethyst.
Care
Ultrasonic: Safe Steamer: Risky if held too close to steam.
Resistance to Heat: Poor; temperature changes may cause color change.
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