February’s Birthstone: Amethyst
Amethysts were once only available to Royalty. But nowadays, amethysts are one of the worlds most popular gems as their connection with Royalty also means that they are associated with power.
The colour of an amethyst ranges along the purple colour scale from incredibly dark purple to very pale. The Greek’s associated amethysts with Bacchus, the God of Wine, which is because of its color. The Greek work, ‘amethystos’ actually means, ‘not drunken’. This meant that it was often worn to protect the wearer against intoxication.
Amethysts can occur as crystals , which are six sided on either end and they have a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale.
Amethysts that are eye clean with a fine colour are the optimal stones. Not only is this the birthstone for Pisces, but it is also the gemstone that represents the 6th anniversary of marriage.
