| Amethyst has long been a favorite gem of | | | | religions. In fact, it was considered the |
| Kings and Queens for its royal purple hues. | | | | stone of bishops, and they still often wear |
| The gem, the most precious member of the | | | | Amethyst rings.The birth stone for February, |
| quartz family, exhibits color ranging from | | | | Amethyst is an extremely popular gem for |
| pale liliac to deep purple. Amethysts are | | | | jewelry because of its regal color, variety |
| featured in the British Crown Jewels and were | | | | of sizes and shapes, affordability and wide |
| worn by Catherine the Great as well as | | | | range of hues. It also is the recommended |
| Egyptian royalty.Through the ages, various | | | | gem for couples celebrating their sixth |
| special properties have also been prescribed | | | | wedding anniversary.The stone is mined in |
| to Amethyst. The Greeks and Romans | | | | Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Argentina, as |
| considered it a strong antidote against | | | | well as in Zambia, Namibia, and other African |
| drunkenness and drank wine from goblets | | | | nations. Very dark Amethyst in small sizes |
| carved out of the gem. Leonardo Da Vinci | | | | also is mined in Australia. But the ideal |
| wrote that Amethyst could dissipate evil | | | | fine quality Amethyst was set by a Siberian |
| thoughts and quicken the intelligence. The | | | | variety, often called Russian or Uralian |
| stone also supposed to bring peace of mind to | | | | Amethyst, which is now considered a defunct |
| the wearer and prevent fatal poisoning.In | | | | source.Generally, South American Amethyst |
| some legends, the stone also represents | | | | tends to come in larger sizes than African |
| piety, celibacy and dignity. In Tibet, for | | | | Amethyst. But the African variety has a |
| instance, Amethyst is considered sacred to | | | | reputation for having deeper color intensity |
| Buddha and rosaries are often made from it. | | | | and is therefore considered more valuable. |
| In the middle ages the gem was an important | | | | The African version also is harder to come by |
| ornamentation for Catholic Church and other | | | | than Amethyst mined from South America. |