Get a royalty look at an affordable price with February’s birthstone, amethyst. In shades of purple, Amethyst is the most intriguing of gemstones. It is a variety of quartz but differs from common quartz due to its violet to purple color.
Amethyst Symbolic Meaning
From the Greek word, “amethystos” translates as “not drunken.” In ancient times Amethyst was thought to be an antidote for drunkenness so wine goblets were carved from this gemstone. Today Amethyst still symbolizes sobriety.
Amethyst Metaphysical Properties
The frequency of Amethyst is connected to the third eye, crown, and upper transpersonal chakras. Opening and clearing the third eye and crown chakras allows one to develop one’s psychic abilities and intuition.
Amethyst is a crystal of “Spirit” allowing one to connect to the higher dimensions of consciousness and thus connect to one’s guides to receive information and guidance.
This form of purple-colored Quartz also acts as a good meditation tool due to its resonance with the upper transpersonal chakras allowing one to enter the correct state of consciousness to connect with the Divine.
This beautiful crystal can help understand the root causes and belief patterns relating to addictive behavior and aids one with their release.
Amethyst aids in the purification of energy fields and protects against low vibrational energies and negativity by creating a high vibrational “energetic shield” around one’s being.
Associated Chakras
- Third Eye
- Crown
- Casual Vortex
- Soul Star
- Stellar Gateway
Physical Ailment
- Headaches
- Nerve Disorders
Emotional Issue
- Addiction
- Alcoholism
- Sleep Disorders
Spiritual Connection
- Connection to the Divine
- Protection – Environmental
- Protection – Psychic
- Purification
Amethyst Spiritual Meanings and Uses
Rosaries in Tibet are designed with Amethyst because the gemstone is considered to be sacred to Buddha. Among the many legends, Amethyst is said to bring protection from sorcery, bad dreams, and some medical problems.
It is valued to bring victory in battle, possess good powers, save travel, repel negativity, and is considered a symbol of true sincerity.
As a semi-precious gemstone, Amethyst has been in much demand in history. In the Middle Ages, Amethyst was thought to encourage celibacy and extensive ornamentation was in use by many churches, including the Catholic church.
Since it was first discovered 5000 years ago in ancient Egypt, people have attributed it to all sorts of amuletic qualities. Few other gems get so much attention.
In antiquity, the Egyptians strongly believed that amethyst could prevent the owner from being poisoned. The high-ranking officials wore them a lot because of the rivalry that existed for their position.
Amethyst special properties
In medieval times February’s birthstone became the symbol of Christian love and devotion. Churchmen wore amethyst rings and jewelry because they believed they helped them have divine revelations and wisdom.
Putting an amethyst under one’s pillow was thought to cure insomnia and bring beautiful dreams.
Amethyst Care and Cleaning
For thousands of years, it has been a common practice in the jewelry industry to heat treat gemstones. This practice helps amethyst keep its original color and be more resistant. However, this doesn’t mean you don’t need to take good care of your jewel. Avoid heat or hot steam cleaning.
Being used over the ages as everything from love charms to symbols of royalty status, this member of the quartz family became the February birthstone in the 20th century. It’s a very durable and great-looking gem that helps people today have a royalty look at an affordable price.
Amethyst Color, Shapes, and Sizes
Amethyst is the most precious quartz mineral and comes in a few distinct colors including violet, purple, rose, lavender, and mauve. When it comes to value, the most valuable color is a deep purple with tinges of violet. Many gemstones are similar in consistency to Amethyst, one of them is Citrine.
Amethyst is a relatively hard substance. It is rated a 7 on the Mohs scale which means it is a great stone to make ornamental jewelry out of. However, it should be noted that Amethyst can fracture when hit with too much force, even though it has a rating of 7 on Mohs scales it is still 1/15 the hardness of a diamond.
Amethyst can come in many sizes and while jewelry-grade, Amethyst is very rare, other types of Amethyst can be meters long. Yes, meters long. For instance, Amethyst was founded in Mexico in 1900. It measured 33 feet and weighed over 8 tons. However, the largest jewelry-grade Amethyst stones found is usually about the size of a fist, some weighing about 700 carats.
Amethyst can be found all around the world, however, the major deposits of Amethyst are found in southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Madagascar. Amethyst found in Southern Brazil is usually light violet. Uruguay Amethyst is the most beautiful but can have blemishes. The Amethyst in Madagascar is usually red. Amethyst is also found in parts of Germany and Russia, located by the Ural Mountains.
