Amethyst
"Because of its beauty the very best grade is called the Gem of Venus."
Georgius Agricola (1494-1555), De Natura Fossilium
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Dionysus, the Greek god of wine
and mythical creator of Amethyst |
The 'father of mineralogy', Georgius Agricola wasn't the first to be enamoured by the beauty of Amethyst. Rich in myth, legend and lore, Amethyst was set into gold rings as early as 2500 BC. Below, I'll decant some of the myths behind Amethyst, pouring some wisdom on what to look for in February's birthstone. But why the wine analogies?
Known as Dionysus to the Greeks and Bacchus to the Romans, this 'bad boy' of Greek mythology was their god of wine. Despite Dionysus's divine mission to end care and worry, he spread his fair share of mayhem, especially after a few quarts of old grape juice. The story goes that a drunken Dionysus, none too happy after being shunned by a passing mortal, swore revenge on the next unfortunate to cross his path. Enter Amethyst, a young, innocent, beautiful maiden (and a big fan of the goddess Diana), followed by two hungry tigers courtesy of Dionysus. As Amethyst screamed, Dionysus filled his goblet ready for the main event, maiden versus tiger. Divinely unimpressed by Dionysus's shenanigans, all-seeing Diana quickly turned Amethyst into a Quartz statue, as pure as her virtue. While protected from harm, unfortunately the spell couldn't be reversed, causing a guilt-ridden Dionysus to weep tears of sorrow. Collapsing as his tears dripped into his goblet, its contents splashed onto the statue, creating the purple gem we call Amethyst.
Long before Roman emperors donned the bright purple 'toga picta', pharaohs, kings and queens made purple a potent symbol of sovereignty. From the signet of Cleopatra, an Amethyst engraved with a figure of Bacchus, to the Amethyst necklace of Queen Charlotte, wife of George III of England, Amethyst will forever be linked to power. Because of this heritage, it's not surprising that Amethyst was popular with the Catholic Church in the middle ages. Thought to promote celibacy, it soon became known as the 'papal stone'. Even today, bishops still wear Amethyst rings.
Amethyst has more superstitions than a professional gambler - it's hard to find a malady this gem won't supposedly fix! Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) wrote that Amethyst was able to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence, while Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD), Roman historian and author of 'Historia Naturalis' (the world's first encyclopaedia), reported that if the name of the moon or sun was engraved upon an Amethyst hung from the neck by the hair of a baboon it became a charm against witchcraft and beneficial to those petitioning princes.
While its myths are fascinating, what makes Amethyst tick? A variety of macrocrystalline (large crystal) Quartz (from the Saxon 'querklufterz', meaning cross-vein-ore) that occurs in transparent pastel roses to deep purples, Amethyst owes its colours to iron. Some other popular macrocrystalline Quartzes are included here and you can read about the cryptocrystalline (small crystal) Quartzes click here.
Colour is Amethyst's most important consideration, with the deeper shades commanding higher prices. The most valuable Amethysts are medium to dark toned, transparent and pure violet with no shading toward red or blue, although blue or red flashes are desirable and highly coveted. Amethyst crystals occur with reasonably few inclusions, so the standard is eye-clean, with no visible inclusions when the gem is examined six inches from the naked eye. As it's a popular gem for lapidaries and jewellers, you'll find more fanciful shapes and cuts of Amethyst than you will for many other gems. Regardless of the cut, look for an even colour and good brilliance.
Found on every continent in varying amounts, Amethyst can vary depending on its origin. First appearing in Europe in 1727, gorgeous Brazilian Amethyst remains prolific, while Uruguayan Amethyst is noted for its spectacular beauty. Deep purple Siberian Amethyst is now historic, although you'll sometimes hear 'Siberian' incorrectly used to describe intensely coloured Amethyst from any locale.
Amethyst might be a gem of antiquity, but it remains an important fashion gemstone due to its timeless beauty, rich colour and durability. One of the highlights of the 41st Bangkok Gems & Jewellery Fair was 'Purple Evolution'. This outstanding display featured virtually everything purple, eye-catching, rare and unique, including purple gold, Lavender Jade, Purple Sapphire and, you guessed it, Amethyst.
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Ametrine |
Sunburst Ametrine |
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Ametrine
Ametrine (also Amethyst-Citrine Quartz, Trystine or Golden Amethyst) is a bicolour blend of Citrine and Amethyst. Its unusual colour is due to iron in different states of oxidation. While its main deposit in Bolivia (Anahi mine, named for an Ayoreos princess who married a Spanish conquistador) has been famous since the 17th century, it's only become commercially available since 1980. The Anahí mine is located in south-eastern Bolivia (Santa Cruz Department), near the border with Brazil. Although the Anahí mine has enjoyed consistent production since coming under private control in 1990, like so many old deposits, output is lower than a decade ago. Ametrine is also occasionally found in non-commercial quantities in Brazil, India, Madagascar and Sri Lanka. Fine specimens traditionally display intense colours evenly split, but free-form 'fantasy' cuts that ignore a balanced contrast between the two colours, as well as concave cutting that creates a blend of colours in more traditional shapes (Sunburst Ametrine), are increasingly popular.
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Bi Colour Amethyst |
Bi Colour Quartz |
Bi Colour Citrine |
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Bi Colour Amethyst
Caused by environmental changes during formation, Bi Colour Amethyst (also Amethyst Quartz) is a bicolour blend of Amethyst and White Quartz. Faceted to showcase this feature, fine specimens have a balanced contrast between their colours.
Blueberry Quartz
Hailing solely from the Montezuma mine in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, Blueberry Quartz has only been available since January 2007. This gem is aptly named 'Blueberry Quartz' to perfectly describe its vivid blueberry colour. Incredibly scarce due to the characteristics of the rock where it is found, Blueberry Quartz comprises less than 0.01 percent of Brazil's total production of Quartz gemstones. This scarcity is further complicated by extraction difficulties; the mine is over 150 metres deep and very damp.
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Citrine
Named for 'citron', the French word for lemon, Citrine occurs naturally with Amethyst and is also coloured by iron. It comes in pastel lemon yellows, golden yellows, mandarin oranges and 'Madeira' reds (for the wine). Caused by environmental changes, Bi Colour Citrine (also Citrine Quartz) is a bicolour blend of Citrine and White Quartz. While Brazilian and Madagascan Citrine is generally regarded as the best quality, Brazil is the world's leading producer with most of its Citrine coming from the state of Rio Grande do Sul ('Large River of the South' in Portuguese).
Green Amethyst
Ranging from pastel to deep forest green, Green Amethyst is the green variety of Quartz. It is also known as Vermarine, Green Quartz, Lime Citrine or by its gemmological name, Prasiolite (from the Greek words 'prason', meaning leek, and 'lithos', meaning stone). Olive Quartz is a related colour variety.
Ouro Verde Quartz
Meaning 'green gold' in Portuguese, Ouro Verde Quartz is named for its vivid yellow chartreuses; yellow with a splash of green similar in colour to Yellow Chartreuse liqueur. Created in 1838, saffron coloured Yellow Chartreuse is more yellow than Chartreuse liqueur (between yellow and green, similar to Peridot) that was first made by Carthusian monks in 1764 at the Grande Chartreuse monastery in Voiron. This hue is unique to Brazil's Bocarica mine, a very old Aquamarine mine that ironically hasn't yielded any Aquamarine in approximately four years.
Rose de France Amethyst
Hailing from Brazil, 'Rose de France' Amethyst (also Lavender Amethyst) is pastel lilac pink. A popular Victorian gem, it often features in antique jewellery.
Rose Quartz
The pink variety of quartz, Rose Quartz is rarely transparent, displaying a beautiful misty appearance.
Rutile Quartz
While Quartz is typically prized for its clarity, many minerals occur as inclusions in Quartz, creating attractive and interesting gemstones. With black, golden yellow, reddish-orange, silver-grey or silver inclusions, Rutile (from the Latin 'rutilus', meaning ruddy) is the most popular. Rutile Quartz is called a variety of names, including Cupid's Darts, Fleches D'amour (arrows of love), Golden Rutile Quartz (pictured), Graffiti Quartz (silver-grey), Needlestone, Rutilated Quartz, Rutilite, Sagenite and Venus' Hair.
Smoky Quartz
Coloured by aluminium, Smoky Quartz and its colour variety Cognac Quartz are earthy transparent Quartzes, also known as 'champagne on ice'. A variety of Smoky Quartz called Cairngorm (named for its historic source in the Scottish Highlands) is the national gem of Scotland.
White Quartz
Also known as Rock Crystal, the absence of metallic elements makes White Quartz colourless.
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Given Amethyst's mythological origin, it should come as no surprise that it was once fashioned into talismans and goblets to prevent drunkenness. But did the ancient Greeks really believe this? After a lot of digging, I think I have the answer. They certainly weren't dummies, yet Amethyst is derived from the Greek word 'amethustos', which means 'not drunk'. Adopting words from other languages, the Greek name is probably a play on the Hebrew for a purple gem, 'achlamath', which itself is possibly derived from the Persian 'shemest'. While legend would have us believe the Greeks really thought Amethyst would prevent intoxication, writing in the 1st century Pliny the Elder was sceptical, remarking, "the lying Magi promise that these gems are an antidote to drunkenness". Yet in his 'Book of Precious Stones', the 13th-century Arabic scholar Mohammed Ben Mansur affirms that, "wine drunk out of a goblet of Amethyst does not intoxicate". At this time, Arabians placed extraordinary value upon Amethyst, so you'd think Ben would've got it right. While it's tempting to dismiss this as fanciful, if you fill an Amethyst goblet with water, it does look a lot like wine, so perhaps this legend has a grain of truth. Doubly so, when you speculate what a good Muslim is doing drinking in the first place. Perhaps this was the ruse. Turn up at a party, Amethyst goblet in hand, look like you can drink Oliver Reed under the table, yet still keep your faith (and your head). |
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