Amethyst The Celestial Gemstone

For thousands of years the most striking specimen of the quartz family, amethyst comes in hues of purple, the most celebrated shade being deep, velvety violet. In the olden days when dyes for clothes were made of natural substances, most of the colors could easily be obtained from nature other than purple, which was made only from the rare saffron flower, Crocus Sativus. Hence the color purple was considered elite and only the rich could afford it. Since then purple has been endorsed by royalty and the crème de la crème. Amethyst epitomizes purple and its hues.

The word amethyst has been derived from the Greek word "amethystos" meaning “not drunken”. In the olden times amethyst was believed to be a strong antidote against drunkenness, which is why wine goblets were often carved from the amethyst crystal.

There are different stories that talk of amethyst origin. The most popular folklore is about the Greek God of intoxication, Dionysus. According to the story, Dionysus was insulted by a worldly being. Enraged, He swore revenge and divulged that He would destroy the first worldly being that crosses his way. Dionysus created ferocious tigers to carry his wish. A young maiden, Amethystos, who was on her way to pay tribute to goddess Artemis, became the unsuspected victim. Artemis transformed Amethystos into a pillar made of crystal to protect her. When Dionysus learned this, he wept tears of wine on the pillar in remorse of the incident. The wine tears turned the crystal purple, hence amethyst was created.

Other story talks of a drunken Dionysus coercing a maiden called Amethystos. She refused his affections and prayed to the gods to remain chaste. The goddess Artemis granted her prayer, transforming her into a white crystal. Dionysus poured wine over the crystal she had become as an offering, coloring the crystal purple.

Amethyst is a transparent, coarse-grained, purple variety of quartz (SiO2) and has long been one of the most prized gem of the quartz family. On the Mohs scale amethyst stands on the hardness level of 7. Higher the level of hardness, better the chances of the gemstone’s resistance to scratches and abrasion. Also, the chemical structure of amethyst makes it very tough, helping in resistance to breaking, chipping and cracking. The hardness of this gemstone combined with the toughness makes amethyst a great choice for jewelry.