An Amazing Purple Semi-precious Stone: the Amethyst

The term for the semi-precious stone Amethyst comes from the Greek word “Amethystos”, which means not drunken. This stone was actually believed by the Greeks of ancient times to prevent intoxication. It is also the birthstone for those people born in February.

The amethyst is a purple semi-precious stone, with its color ranging from a pale pinkish violet to a very deep purple. It is made from the chemical silicon dioxide. It has a vitreous luster and could be mined from alluvial deposits. The amethyst has a structure that is a trigonal crystal structure and has a hardness of 7 on the Moh’s scale.

This stone has several believed holistic benefits. It strengthens and improves the immune system and can alleviate stress and headache. It also provides inner peace as well as balance of the inner body. It is also believed to be very beneficial for inspiration and intuition.

There is also a Greek legend of the amethyst stone. It was said that the Greek God Dionysus, who was the God of intoxication was angry and vowed to show revenge on all mortals he came across with. Suddenly, ravishing Amethyst came along. She was turned into a gemstone and this saved her from being killed.

The amethyst could be mined in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Namibia, Zambia and in the other African countries.

In history, amethysts have been inlaid along with the jewels of the British crown, Catherine the Great’s jewelry and the personal things of Egyptian royalty. During the Victorian era, the popularity amethyst began to rise.