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The Amethyst Legend Bacchus, the god of wine and conviviality, was angry because of some slight against him and swore revenge. He announced that the first mortal to come across his path would be eaten by tigers. Just at that moment along came the lovely maiden Amethyst, on her way to worship at the shrine of the goddess Diana. Diana saw what was happening and transformed Amethyst into stone to rescue her from a violent death. When Bacchus viewed the miracle, he repented and poured wine over the stone, staining it purple. This is the legendary creation of the gemstone amethyst. The word "amethustos" means "not drunk." The ancient Greeks believed that whoever wore this stone would be protected against the intoxicating effect of wine. Whether or not the Greeks held the key to sobriety is open to question. Roman women, however, claimed the gem could keep their husbands faithful. Biblical Representation The Bible tells us of a jeweled breastplate worn by Aaron, the high priest of the Hebrews. It contained twelve precious stones. The amethyst was the third stone in the third row. In the New Testament, these stones became the foundation of the New Jerusalem described in Revelation. Each gemstone was identified with a prophet. The amethyst stood for Math's, who had the gift of tongues and was filled with the desire to please God. Royalty Amethyst is a variety of'(quartz which occurs in a transparent light to dark purple. It has long been treasured by kings and queens as well as high figures in religious sects because of its rich, royal color can be traced back to the Minoan period in Greece (c. 2500 B.C.) when it was found as polished cabochons (dome-shaped stones) set in gold. It is represented in many artistic eras since then. During the 15th century the French fleur-de-lis brooch could only be worn by the Royal family on ceremonial occasions. The one surviving example of this art form is part of the Royal regalia of France. The fleur-de-lis design on it is set with sapphires and amethysts. Amethysts were popular in the parures (matching sets) of the 1820's. They were a favorite medium for Art Nouveau craftsmen and are still favorites of the most creative modern jewelry designers. A major reason for their popularity in jewelry design has been their wide availability and modest price. Large, fine pieces were always easily attainable and lent themselves to freedom of design. It is only in the last few years that fine quality amethyst has become somewhat scarce. Today the two main sources of amethyst are Brazil and Zambia. It is also found in Uruguay, Russia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Zimbabwe-Rhodesia and our own state of Arizona. With the increasing scarcity of fine amethyst, a manmade duplicate has come onto the market. Amethyst is always desirable, but when fashion includes the rich palette of lilacs, lavenders and royal purples, its popularity soars.

Presentation Amethyst is fashioned in a number of different ways. It is faceted or polished into a cabochon for rings, pendants, earrings and cuff links. It may be carved into violet petals for a pendant or earrings or into a cluster of grapes for a brooch. Beads of amethyst are strung in various lengths, sometimes polished, sometimes not. They may be combined with gold beads, pearls, rock crystal or other colored stone beads. Amethysts look especially rich when set in gold and accented with diamonds. Amethyst ranges in color from pale lilac to deep purple. The pale colors are sometimes called "Rose de France" and can be seen set in Victorian jewelry. The deep colors are the most valuable, particularly a rich purple with rose flashes. Amethyst is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina and some African countries. Generally, amethyst from South America tends to be available in larger sizes than African amethyst but amethyst from Africa has the reputation for having better, more saturated, color in small sizes. Very dark amethyst, mostly in small sizes, is also mined in Australia. Amethyst is available in a wide range of calibrated sizes and shapes, including many fancy shapes. Large fine stones may be sold in free sizes but generally amethyst is cut in standardized dimensions. Learn more about Amber from books. Citrine Citrine is any quartz crystal or cluster that is yellow or orange in color. Although, often cut as a gemstone, citrine is actually somewhat rare in nature. Most citrines on the market have been heat treated. Specimens of low grade, inexpensive amethyst or smoky quartz are often cooked at high temperatures to produce the more profitable orange yellow citrine. Citrines whose colors have been produced by artificial means tend to have much more of an orange or reddish caste than those found in nature, which are usually a pale yellow. Much of the natural citrines may have started out as amethyst but heat from nearby magmatic bodies may have caused the change to citrine. Interestingly, a popular gemstone on the market is a mixture of half amethyst and half citrine and is given the name ametrine For additional information visit the following website: