![]() Amethyst was known as a gem that would bring forth the highest, purest aspirations of human kind. The stone was thought to control evil thoughts, quicken intelligence, make a shrewd man in business, preserve soldiers from battle wounds, aid the warrior to victory, help the hunter in search of his game, protect the wearer from contagious diseases, and put demons to flight if the figure of a bear is inscribed on the jewel. The goblet overturned, and the red wine spilled all over the white rock, saturating it until it became the purple quartz that is now known as Amethyst.Īmethyst has been thought to have many attributes throughout history, and all of them are good. When Dionysus realized what had happened and felt remorse for his actions, his tears dripped into his goblet of red wine. When Amethyst cried out to Goddess Diana for help, she immediately turned the girl into a white, shimmering stone (quartz). As its rarity decreased, so did its price.Īccording to Greek mythology, Amethyst was a young virgin who became the object of wrath of the Greek God Dionysus after he became intoxicated with red wine. Then great finds in South America and elsewhere made it more plentiful. For some time, true amethyst was valued equally with the diamond. The twelfth foundation of the Holy City was built of amethyst. It was also one of the twelve precious stones in the high priest Aaron’s breastplate. There are a number of Biblical references to the amethyst. The stone is also a symbol of Saint Matthias. Saint Valentine was thought to wear a ring set with an antique Amethyst carved with an image of Cupid. The royal purple color used to symbolize Christ. In olden times, Amethyst saw its place in the Christian church, worn on Bishops’ rings. The Smithsonian has an amethyst that weighs 400 pounds! Ancient civilizations prized the stone more than many gems, which today, enjoy more recognition and value, including the sapphire and the ruby. The stone is included in royal collections all over the world, from ancient Egypt to the British crown jewels. It is the birthstone for Pisces and the month of February, and the gemstone for the 6th anniversary of marriage. Well-shaped crystals with strong colors are valued by collectors.Īmethyst has been a prized gem for centuries. The mineral is used for jewelry, dishes, decorations. ![]() Our amethysts come mainly from Pakistan and Afghanistan. It differs in many shades up to slightly blue to pink. It occurs in many places on Earth but only some specimens have a beautiful strong color. Currently the largest one known is 18 foot wide, 20 ton behemoth dubbed the "enchanted cave" and currently on display at the Crystal Castle & Shambhala Gardens in Australia.The mineral is a purple variety of quartz. In addition to these two geodes, many massive amethyst geodes have been found in Uruguay. Depending on how you want to measure size either one could be considered the largest. There are two geodes that lay claim to be the world largest, a massive, 35 foot across Celestite geode in Ohio and the 30 foot long, selenite crystal lined, Pulpi Geode in Spain. Vugs are irregularly shaped pockets typically along of vein or breccia while geodes are rounded or oblong in shape. Geodes are hollow cavities within the rock, while nodules are completely filled in with minerals. What Is The Difference Between A Geode, Nodule & Vug? The area near Chihuahua, Mexico produce abundant geodes called Coconut Geodes mined from about 100 feet below the surface.The volcanic rock deposits in Southern Brazil and Uruguay which produce gorgeous and sometimes very large amethyst geodes.The Warsaw Formation in the Keokuk region near the area where Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois.Geodes have been found in volcanic rock world wide, but some of the most prolific deposits include: Geodes found at the same locality typically have similar minerals deposited inside. By far the most abundant mineral found within geodes is macrocrystalline quartz (including amethyst), but calcite, pyrite, barite, celestite, & chalcedony ( agate) are also frequently found. Over millions of years, hydrothermal fluids or groundwater deposited minerals within these hollow cavities forming a crystal lining. They often form in air bubbles which became trapped in volcanic rock as it cooled, or inside voids left in sedimentary rocks. Geodes are hollow, often spherical cavities within rocks that are lined with crystals and other minerals.
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