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The purple amethyst is beautiful, ánd the birthstone of February. Besides that, according to several myths and legends, this beautiful purple gemstone is a great way to prevent getting drunk. And those great stories tell us about it and the AA? Let me explain this!
What is in the name ‘amethystos’?
The name ‘amethystos’ means ‘not drunken’ or ‘not intoxicated’ in the ancient Greek language. Drinking your favorite alcohol from a goblet made from this purple gemstone is a great way not to get drunk in the old times. Even when you pour the alcohol in abundantly. People consider the purple gem to be a perfect and strong antidote against alcohol and drunkenness.
Secretly, I think that it is not a coincidence that the amethyst is the birthstone of February, the time of celebration Carnaval!
The next question is, of course, whether this is true or only a great story. Or a fine excuse to get drunk, use a glass made of this gemstone, and blame the gemstone for it.
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purple amethyst necklace€ 73.00
How does the purple gem become an antidote?
A French poet, Remy Belleau (1528-1577), writes the poem ‘L’Amethyste, ou Les amours de Bacchus et d’Amethyste’. In this poem, the Greek god Bacchus chases a girl called Amethyste. Bacchus is – by the way- the god of wine and grapes and the god of intoxication.
Amethyste detests his affections and refuses them. But Bacchus is not a member of the ‘Me Too’ movement and doesn’t take NO for an answer. She has no help around, so she prays to the goddess Diana (goddess of the chaste). She wants Diana to help her remain chaste and get rid of Bacchus.
I don’t know why Diana does not sue Bacchus for his behavior, but she decides to transform Amethyste into a pure white stone. Bacchus spoils his good wine over the white stone as an offering, and the white stone turns into purple: the amethyst.
The Romans have their version
The Romans have their challenges with wine, too, and there is a story about Dionysus. That is the god of the grape harvest and of the wine and the winemaking. Dionysus is a god with long toes. He is insulted by a mortal, for crying out loud. And he looks for revenge.
He makes a promise to himself that the first mortal he meets, he will deal with by force. But he needs some help doing that, so he creates strong tigers to help him out. The first mortal he comes across is a young, innocent girl, Amethystos, who is on her way to the temple of Artemis.
Artemis realizes that Amethystos is in danger and transforms her into a statue of pure white crystalline quartz. Looking at what happens, Dionysos feels remorse, and he cries ‘tears of wine’ over the statue. And those tears of wine color the quartz purple, the amethyst.
In other cultures
While working in Tibet, I saw some amethyst prayer beads. The Tibetans consider this gemstone to be some kind of divine, and the gemstone is sacred to Buddha.
In the Middle Ages, this purple gem was not a simple quartz, worn by ordinary people. No, it was a symbol of royalty, and the crowns and regalia were decorated with it. That idea came from the Old World, where it was considered a Cardinal Gem.
That means that the amethyst was as valuable and appreciated as the diamond, the emerald, the ruby, and the sapphire. The last four gemstones are valued nowadays as precious stones. But since they found very large amethyst quartz deposits in Brazil, the purple gemstone fell out of this list of precious gemstones.
In China, this purple gem is used as a very powerful tool to get rid of all the negative energy in your house (Feng Shui) and your life. Wearing these gemstones should drive away all the bad things in your life.
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round amethyst earrings€ 28.00
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amethyst hoop earrings€ 39.00
What does this quartz have to do with the AA?
It may be clear that the girl Amethyste or Amethystos is the victim of a drunken god, who can not keep his hands to himself. And it is a pity for her that the only way to help her out is to transform her into a stone, a gemstone, though. Of course, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with alcohol and certainly not with wine. She could be a great symbol of the AA movement (or MeToo). Why don’t they think about that themselves?
About the gemstone
The amethyst is quartz and has a purple-to-violet color. You mine it in a lot of places, and easy to come by. It has a base, and the crystal peeks grow on top of it. The peaks of the crystals are the deepest purple, and coming down, the color gets weaker.
There are varieties that are light yellow, red-brown, and even light green. Of course, they are not natural, but people put the purple one in a fire of 470-750 degrees, and then the purple copy turns into different colors.
the quality
The best quality is found in Brazil, Siberia, Sri Lanka, and Uruguay, but also in the Far East. If you are looking for the absolute best ones, you search for the ‘Deep Siberian’ amethyst. It has about 75-80% purple and 15-20% blue. And sometimes a little bit of red, but that depends on the light source.
Another highly appreciated variety is the ‘Rose de France’ quality. The shade of purple is lighter and comes from the lavender and lilac hues. This variety got very popular due to the marketing.
handle with care
Although this purple beauty is a rather hard gemstone, it is always good advice to be careful with your jewelry, especially with gemstones. The amethyst is sensitive to strong heat, and it is possible that due to that strong heat, the amethyst loses or changes its color.
Polish the gemstone gently with a soft cloth, and if you want it extra clean ask the jeweler to do that with extra care in an ultrasonic device or steamer.
the value
The price of this gemstone depends on the depth of the color purple. And the deeper the color, the more expensive they get.
When you want to see a great one, you have to go to the British Museum in London, where they have a polished one of 343 carats. Or to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, where you can see a copy of 1362 carats. That is huge and not suited for a ring or another piece of jewelry.
The latest news about the Amethyst
Hundreds of historic amethysts were discovered hidden inside the decorative grottos beneath Kroměříž Chateau in the Czech Republic. The stones were part of seventeenth century designs but had been covered by dirt and paint for many years. Their rediscovery has become an important part of the chateau restoration work.
In Poland, a rare six-hundred-year-old amethyst jewel was found in the moat of a medieval castle. The stone was set in silver and likely belonged to a noble person who lost it centuries ago. The find offers a rare look into medieval life and craftsmanship.
In Western Australia, prospectors uncovered an enormous amethyst crystal weighing four kilograms. The crystal stood out because of its size and its nearly perfect shape. Finds like this are extremely rare and have drawn attention from collectors and gem experts around the world.
10 Facts about the Amethyst
- Amethyst is the birthstone for February and the gem for the 6th and 17th anniversaries.
- The hardness of this gem ranks as a 7 on the Mohs Scale, which means that it is a rather hard gemstone that does not scratch easily.
- On the breast shield of the high priest Aaron are 12 gemstones, representing the tribes of Israel. This purple gemstone is one of those gemstones, situated on the second row, together with the turquoise and sapphire.
- Some people believe that gemstones have metaphysical properties. This purple quartz relates to peacefulness and restful sleep.
- It can be heat-treated and turned into citrine (November’s birthstone). The majority of citrine on the market is heat-treated amethyst!
- This purple gemstone was first discovered in France about 25,000 years ago. At the moment, you can find it all over the world, especially in Brazil, Uruguay, Siberia, and Sri Lanka.
- In the Crystal Cave & Shambhala Gardens/Australia, you can find an amethyst geode called the Dragon Egg, which is 120 million years old, and comes from Uruguay. The geode weighs 10 tons and has a very rare deep purple color. In 1993, a cave in Maine was discovered that contained over a ton of amethyst!
- An amethyst ring carved with Cupid’s image is said to have been worn by St. Valentine.
When are you interested in jewelry and gemstones? I have a free e-book about birthstones, and the amethyst is in there, among a lot of other gemstones. Just let me know where to send it too and I’ll take care that you get it.
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