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The name of this gemstone comes from the Greek word "a-methystos", which means not drunk. Amethyst can occur as crystals which are six sided on either end. It also forms crystalline crusts covering the host rock. It is found inside geodes all around the world and occurs.

The amethyst is a clear purple, mauve or violet form of the mineral quartz. It is considered the most valuable of the quartz gemstones. Colors range from very pale mauve to deep violet. The deeper colors seem to be the most valuable.

Amethyst photo courtesy of ebay seller BangkokGemMart

The Amethyst has a hardness score of 7 on the Mohs Scale and a specific gravity of between 2.65 and 2.66. It has a very good wear ability factor. A fine amethyst is very translucent and allows light to pass through it.

Amethyst mines are found worldwide, but notable deposits are in Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Russia, Sri Lanka, United States (Arizona), Uruguay and Zambia.

The amethyst is the birthstone for February and is also associated with the Zodiac sign of Pisces. It is often given as a gift for the fourth, fifth and seventeenth wedding anniversaries.

The folklore legends of amethyst are long. The Greeks believed that Dionysius, the god of intoxication, was angered one day by an insult from a human and swore revenge on the next mortal that crossed his path. He was to use tigers as his revenge. The goddess Diana was to become the victim but a young maiden named Amethyst came into danger instead and Diana turned her into a statue of pure quartz to protect her from the tigers. It is thought that Dionysus wept tears of wine after seeing this. His tears stained the quartz purple to form the famous gem.

In a metaphysical context, amethysts have been mentioned for centuries by healers, shamans and medicine men. It is thought to be of help for headaches, pancreatic ailments, and backache.

Since purple is considered a royal color, the amethyst has enjoyed importance as an insignia of power. Fine amethysts were featured in the British Crown Jewels during the Victorian age and later, and were also a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. Amethyst was also a favorite stone in the Christian church since the middle ages. Over the years, Bishop's rings have been set with amethyst as a symbol of piety and celibacy.