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THE GEMSTONE FOR FEBRUARY: AMETHYST
Feb 7, 2012
Amethyst is the lucky gemstone for those born in February. Amethyst is valued for its unique and very pleasing violet (purple) colour, although it can also have the less popular shades from lilac to mauve.
Amethyst is the lucky gemstone for those born in February. Amethyst is valued for its unique and very pleasing violet (purple) colour, although it can also have the less popular shades from lilac to mauve.
Amethyst with a hardness of 7 is a durable gemstone as it does not scratch easily and retains its polish and shine. It can be easily cut, polished and fashioned into several pleasing shapes and designs. It is also easily available and is a fairly inexpensive gemstone.
Therefore, it is an ideal gemstone for use in costume jewelry, ear-rings, rings, pendants, cufflinks, broaches and bangles. Beads of amethyst are made from not so clear crystals of amethyst and are commonly strung into necklaces.
Polished or unpolished natural crystals can be used on their own or along with other gemstones in several ways. A necklace made of pearls alternating with beads of amethyst and gold displayed in a local jeweler’s window looked exquisite.
Elongated gemstones can be arranged to form petals for rings, ear-rings and broaches. In India amethyst bead necklaces are commonly sold in the market. Amethyst is also considered the stone for the sixth wedding anniversary.
You do not need an expert to help you to select a good amethyst as it is not difficult to select one yourself. Remember that amethyst is not an expensive gemstone; therefore, there is no fear that the dealer will substitute a fake. Choose a cut stone that is transparent, does not have inclusions, is bright looking and has a pleasing deep violet colour. Moreover, it should be well cut, have a good polish and no scratches on the facets. Of course this goes for any gemstone you buy.
Amethyst is a fairly common gemstone and is found practically all over the world but the quality and colour varies from place to place. Big deposits of amethyst are found in Brazil and Uruguay followed by Madagascar. More deposits are in Bolivia, Argentina, and Zambia.
Amethyst is found in small quantities in all parts of Australia but the quality is poor as it has a very dark colour and invariably has small black inclusions. However, recently a fairly large deposit of amethyst of good quality has been discovered in Western Australia. Amethyst from Uruguay, Brazil and Zambia has good saturated color, is of good quality and is in demand.
Amethyst has a mention in the Bible as one of the twelve stones in the breast plate worn by Aaron. It holds a prominent position in the Catholic clergy and is the stone of Bishops and Cardinals. The early Egyptians placed amethyst in tombs of Pharaohs.
Amethyst is believed to possess miraculous powers particularly healing effects. It is placed under the pillow to cure insomnia and have pleasant dreams. It is supposed to reduce the pain from headaches and migraine when placed on the forehead. Amethyst is promoted as a psychic stone to safeguard against witchcraft and black magic. The word “amethyst” comes from the Greek “amethystos’ meaning “not drunk”.
The Greek believe that amethyst protects the wearer from intoxication. Therefore, in the past it was a common practice to serve wine in goblets carved from massive amethyst blocks. Whether it can save from a breathalyzer test is yet to be tested? Ancient Roman women strongly believed that amethyst kept their husbands faithful. Now ladies that is a very good reason to buy one.
SOME SCIENTIFIC PROPERTIES OF AMETHYST
For the inquiring minds, here are some scientific properties of amethyst. The mineral quartz, chemical composition silicon oxide, has several varieties and amethyst is one of them. Like quartz and some agates, amethyst can also be found in geodes (also known as thunder eggs) and makes excellent objects for display.
Amethyst on heating to temperatures between 400 to 500 degrees Celsius turns brownish-yellow to yellow colour resembling the colour of gemstone “citrine” which is another member of the quartz family. Natural citrine is a rare gemstone; therefore, most of the material sold these days as citrine is obtained from amethyst by heat- treatment.
Yellow gemstones obtained by heat –treatment of amethyst revert back to violet colour, with a tinge of smokiness, on radiation with strong X-rays or gamma rays; whereas the natural citrine does not change its colour on radiation. Amethyst crystals on heating to temperatures above 800 degrees Celsius turn milky. My research, using the electron microscope, has shown that this is due to the formation of small bubbles. Natural quartz is colourless (clear) but the colour of amethyst is attributed to atoms of iron in the crystal structure.
My investigations showed that amethyst also contains some radioactive atoms that fission naturally or after radiation with neutrons and leave a trail (track) of damage in the structure. Amethyst has unique optical properties, first described by an English Physicist Lord Brewster in 1823. My research, using the electron microscope, showed that these properties were due to a complex type of twinning only found in amethyst. In summary amethyst is my favourite gemstone on which I have carried out extensive scientific studies (published in scientific journals) to understand this beautiful and unique gemstone.
Comments
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Juan -
February 22, 2012, 10:52 am
Add A CommentThese small pink qtrauz beads are absolutely lovely! They've got sort of a pearl like quality to them, but they're not exactly opaque. I was very pleased with the quality since the beads were uniform in shape, size and color. The price was great too since they were on sale for under $2 for a 15.5 inch strand! Treat yourself to a nice set of pink qtrauz beads before they raise the price!