Amethyst is best known as a purple gemstone, but it's actually a purple variety of quartz. This type of quartz can occur in shades of light lilac, lavender, mauve, and deep purple. On the Mohs scale, which tests the hardness of minerals, amethyst has a Mohs scale of 7, which means it not as scratch resistant as topaz, and even less so than diamond. The two largest sources of amethysts are Brazil and Zambia.
The amethyst is the February birthstone as designated by the American Association of Jewelers in 1912. It's also the birthstone for the Zodiac sign Pisces. Traditionally, the amethyst is the suggested gemstone gift for the 4th, 6th, and 17th wedding anniversary.
Amethyst gets its name from the Greek word amethysts, or "sober." Many interesting stories and legends surround the gemstone amethyst. According to myth, amethyst was first created when the god of wine, Bacchus, became displeased with mortals. In his rage, he vowed that the next mortal he saw would be devoured by tigers. A young woman named Amethyst was doomed to be the victim, but the goddess Diana saved her by turning her into a quartz statue. Learning of this, Bacchus changed his mind, and poured wine over poor Amethyst, staining her purple.
With the telling of this story also came the folklore that drinking from an amethyst cupe would keep someone from getting drunk, and even wearing an amethyst would keep someone from being poisoned. In folklore, the amethyst is said to have healing properties, such as warding off headaches, insomnia, and various pains. Amethyst is rumored to help its wearer be gentle, friendly, and promote peace, love, courage, and happiness. In keeping with its name, it also supposedly combats drunkenness.
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