DESCRIPTION:
Amethyst is one of the many varieties of quartz. It's beautiful color is caused by traces of iron, giving amethyst a range of colors from almost white to deep purple. Amethyst has been used as a gemstone for thousand of years. It was highly prized in ancient times used by the Babylonians, Egyptians, and the Greeks and Romans. These ancient people carved it into many things including cups, charms, vases, jewelry, and amulets.
COMMONLY FOUND:
Amethyst is found in many places like most quartz minerals. Fine amethysts are found in Brazil, Namibia, Russia, India, Zambia, and in Uruguay, where it is the national gem. There is also many deposits here in the U.S.A. such as, Virginia, Montana, Maine, Yellowstone National Park, and the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. Amethyst can also be found in North Carolina where there is a mine open to the public so you can find your own.
INTERESTING FACTS:
Many powers have been associated with amethyst through the ages. The Hebrews believed it induced good dreams, in the Middle Ages amethyst was a symbol of celibacy and piety, Leonardo da Vinci wrote that it 'dissipates evil thoughts and quickens the intelligence'. The strangest power amethyst supposedly possessed was that of the Greeks who believed it to be an antidote for drunkenness.
