AMETHYST
Amethyst is a semiprecious stone that belongs to the quartz family. Its violet color, with shades that vary from pale pink to dark purple, depends on its iron content.
Its name comes from the Greek "amethystos", which means remedy against drunkenness and other excesses which itself refers to the myth of the creation of the amethyst.
The ancient Egyptians and Greeks particularly appreciated this stone for the properties and virtues attributed to it and they made jewelry as well as everyday objects and ritualistic items with it.
In the 17th century amethysts reached the same monetary value as diamonds since it was a highly sought after stone by royalty, nobility and the clergy.
It is also said that amethyst was Saint Valentine's favorite gemstone. Amethyst is the stone associated with the seventh wedding anniversary; uniting red with blue you get violet, favoring balance and stability in loving relationships.
It is said that one day Dionysus, ancient Greek god of wine and decadence, drunk and offended by a mortal, swore revenge on the next human he would see. That was the young and innocent Amethyst, fervent worshiper of the goddess of the hunt Artemis. Dionysus released 2 hungry tigers after her and filled his cup to watch the show. Artemis intervened by turning Amethyst into a pure quartz statue to save her but it was impossible to return her back to normal. Repentant, the god spilled his cup on the quartz statue after filling it with his own tears thus creating the amethyst stone.
Amethyst is a stone whose virtues are linked to serenity and wisdom, since it has a strong regulatory power over the emotions and the body, restoring balance and harmony in all areas. Among its properties, it is said that it helps to deal with stress, hyperactivity and to sleep better due to its vibrations that purify the atmosphere of the place that surrounds it.
It is recommended by lithotherapists (therapists who mainly use crystals and stones to rebalance the body) to detoxify and combat dependence to addictive substances such as coffee, tobacco and alcohol, but also to deal with other types of excesses such as excessive anger, laziness and power. Very beneficial for the immune system as they strengthen the nervous and endocrine systems, the amethyst stone helps restore peace between mind and body by increasing the vitality of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual body.
Like many other gemstones, amethysts exist in many different shades and colors. Some amethysts are considered higher quality as they have deeper and more intense tones or reflections. The pink amethyst from France, originally from Brazil, is also called lavender amethyst because it has colors ranging from pastel purple to pale pink. Siberian amethyst, from Russia, is reputed and sought after for having a balanced color between blue and pink. Wanda's amethyst, produced in Argentina, and Uruguay's amethyst are the highest quality amethysts for having a violet color considered perfect and the most intense and deep violet color respectively.
There are also amethysts of other colors; for example green amethysts with deposits found around the world and amethysts from Rio Grande that turn a darker green. It is worth mentioning the bicolor amethysts that are the combination of amethyst quartz with rock crystal, which is caused by changes in the environment during the formation of the crystals. Another variety of amethyst is the ametrine found in Anahi in Bolivia; Ametrine is made up of amethyst and citrine, so the stone has violet tones typical of amethyst and yellow tones of citrine.