When researching birthstones, one finds that there are often several birthstones for each month. That’s because there are traditional, modern, and ancient birthstones; there are also mystical, ayurvedic, and talismanic birthstones. There are also planetary stones (which correspond to the zodiac sign rather than the month), sun sign stones, and star sign stones. In addition, people from different parts of the world have different traditional birthstones, depending partly on which stones were available in a particular area.
Amethyst can be made into beads and polished, carved, cut, and faceted.
Although there are other stones associated with February, Amethyst is clearly the winner. It is the modern birthstone, the traditional birthstone, the Ayurvedic birthstone, the sun sign stone (Aquarius), the star sign stone (Pisces), and the ancient Arabic, Hebrew, Polish, Italian, Roman and Russian birthstone for February.
Amethyst is a sure gift for someone with a birthday in February. It is likely to be recognized, it is beautiful, highly prized, yet still affordable. It comes in many forms, such as natural crystals, druzes, and geodes; or in processed forms such as cut stones, finely polished beads and cabachons, and carvings. It even looks beautiful in roughly polished nuggets and chips.
Faceted and polished amethyst beads, perfect for a February birthday gift.
Composition and Origin
Amethyst is a quartz (Mohs hardness of 7), and like other quartz, a particular location will produce crystals of a shape and size that are unique to that location. Some regions produce such particular attributes that experts can tell what region or even mine a crystal came from just by looking at the specimen. Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Uraguay, Africa, Italy, Germany, and Russia are places around the world where amethyst is found. In the United States, amethyst occurs in Arizona, Texas, Pennsylvania, Maine, North Carolina, and Colorado.
History and Legend
Amethyst beaded earrings with sterling silver and pink cut crystal
Amethyst has been prized by kings and queens because it matches the rare purple dye that was only used on the clothing of royalty. It has been part of religious ceremonies and worn by bishops and priests. It was once considered among the most valuable gems (along with diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds) but when larger deposits were found, it became more affordable. Its beauty in any shade is often unrivaled by pricier stones. Some amethyst specimens of the deepest shades or from particular locations can still be quite expensive.
The word amethyst comes from the Greek word meaning, “not drunken.” The Greeks associated the stone with sobriety, and believed the wearer would be less susceptible to the effects of alcohol. References have also been made to wine goblets made out of amethyst, presumably to lessen the effects of the wine. The stone’s color is associated with wine, and the stone is also associated with the Greek god of wine. Even today, amethyst is considered to be a stabilizing force, especially for those struggling to overcome addictions.
