Amethyst is purple color variety of quartz and a form of silicon dioxide. The name of the stone has been originated from Greek word Amethystos, where “A” means “not” and “methystos” means “intoxicate”. Therefore we understand that people used to believe it as a preventer of intoxication.
Cultural Affiliation
The Greek word "amethystos" may be translated as "not drunken", from Greek a-, "not" + methustos, "intoxicated". Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness, that’s why wine goblets were often carved from it. The French poet Remy Belleau (1528–1577) invented a myth in which Bacchus, the god of intoxication, of wine, and grapes was pursuing a maiden named Amethyst, who refused his affections. Amethyst prayed to the gods to remain chaste, a prayer which the chaste goddess Diana answered, transforming her into a white stone in his poems. Humbled by Amethyst's desire to remain chaste, Bacchus poured wine over the stone as an offering, dyeing the crystals purple.
Bunches of the story include that Dionysus had been insulted by a mortal and swore to slay the next mortal who crossed his path, creating fierce tigers to carry out his wrath. The mortal turned out to be a beautiful young woman, Amethystos, who was on her way to pay tribute to Artemis. Her life was spared by Artemis, who transformed the maiden into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws. Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse for his action at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god's tears then stained the quartz purple.[35]
This myth and its variations are not found in classical sources. However, the goddess Rhea does present Dionysus with an amethyst stone to preserve the wine-drinker's sanity in historical text.[36]
Tibetans people consider amethyst is sacred to the Buddha. They make prayer beads from it. Amethyst is considered the birthstone of February. In the middle Ages, it was considered to be a symbol of royalty and used to decorate English regalia. In ancient time, it was considered one of the Cardinal gems, in that it was one of the five gemstones considered precious above all others.
Value
Up until the eighteenth century, amethyst was included for the cardinal, or most significant gemstones alongside with precious stones like diamond sapphire, ruby, and emerald. However, since the discovery of large natural reserve of amethyst in areas like Brazil, it has lost the majority of its value.
Crystal enthusiastic usually search for depth of color, possibly with red flashes if cut conventionally. As amethyst is already available in large structures the value of the gem is not primarily defined by carat weight; this is different from most gemstones where the carat weight exponentially increases the value of the stone. The biggest factor in the value of amethyst is the color displayed.
The highest grade amethyst, which is known as "Deep Russian" is astoundingly uncommon and thusly. That’s why, when one is found the value is dependent on the interest of collectors. It is, nonetheless, still significantly less expensive than the most noteworthy grade sapphires or rubies.