Amethyst

AMETHYST A ROYAL PURPLE FROM TURKEY ;

The ancient Greek word amethystos can basically be translated as not drunken,sober.Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness,the reason why wine goblets were often carved from it.The gemstone still continues to be a symbol for sobriety and maturity.The legend for the origin of amethyst comes from Greek myths.Dionysius,the god of fertility and wine ,was angry at an insult of a mortal one day and swears to take revenge from the next mortal to cross his way,and creates wild tigers to carry out his intention.Along comes unwary Amethyst,a beautiful young maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana.Diana turns Amethyst into a stature of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws.After seeing the beautiful statue Dionysus weeps tears of wine in remorse and the god's tears stains and turns the quartz into purple,creating the gem as we know today.Purple has long been considered a royal color so it is not surprising taht amethyst has been so much in demand throughout history.Finest examples of amethysts are used in the British Crown Jewels and they were also the favorite of Catherine the great and the Egyptian royalty.Amethyst,in other words transparent purple quartz,is the most important type of quartz used in jewelry.Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that Amethyst disspated evil thoughts and sharpened mind.Because Amethyst was thought to encourage celibacy and symbolize piety,it was very important in middle ages in the ornamentation of the Catholic and other churches.In Tibet,Amethyst was considered to be sacred stone of Buddha and rosaries are often made from it.Amethyst is one of the most popular gems.It has a beautiful color and is rather common,making it an inexpensive,widely used gem.Most Amethyst is faceted into jewelry cuts,and some are cut as cabochons.Large,massive chunks of Amethyst banded with Quartz is somtimes carved into ornaments.Amethyst is available in a wide range of calibrated sizes and shapes,some of which are quite fancy.Large fine stones may be sold in free sizes but generally Amethyst is cut in standardized dimensions.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION : CHEMICAL FORMULA :

SiO2 COMPOSITION : Silicon dioxide.Its purple coloring is caused by impurities of iron or manganese compounds.COLOR : Light to dark purple.Sometimes banded purple and white;sometimes mixed with colorless Rock Crystal;and sometimes mixed with brownish-yellow Citrine.STREAK : White HARDNESS : 7 CRYSTAL FROMS : ( Hexagonal ) Amethyst is found in protruding clusters of pyramids on a geode base.These pyramids can be quite large It is also found as tall prismatic crystals or short ctubby crystals,in massive aggregates and geodes,and as rounded water worn stones.Crystals are usually striated horizontally,and occasionally have a specter growth.TRANSPARENCY : Transparent to translucent SPECIFIC GRAVITY : 2.6 - 2.7 TENACITY : Brittle OTHER ID MARKS : It may create beige or white fluorescent affect in shortwave ultraviolet light.VARIETIES : Amethyst Quartz - Mixture of Amethyst and milky quartz ( or clear Quartz ). It is purple on top and white or clear on the bottom.It may also be banded purple and white.Ametrine- Mixture of Amethyst and citrine.It is partially purple and partially orange-yellow,with the color zones often sharply divided.Canadian Amethyst - Amethyst with an internal coating of red hematite.It is only found in thunder bay,Ontario.Lavender Amethyst - Pale purple variety of Amethyst Veracruz Amethyst - Tall,prismatic Amethyst crystals from vera cruz ,MEXICO. IN GROUP : Silicates; Tectosilicates; Silica group.It may also be classified as an oxide ( Oxides;Simple Oxides ) WHAT DISTINGUISHES FROM SIMILAR MINERALS : Garnet - Occurs in very different crystal Fluorite And Apatite - Much softer ( 4-5 ) Spinel - Occurs in different crystals, harder ( 7-8 )