Amethyst

Item Description

The name "amethyst" comes from the Greek "a-methystos" meaning "not drunken,". Wine goblets were often carved from it, and the gemstone still symbolizes sobriety to this day. Traditionally, the color purple has been a symbol for royalty and Amethyst was often used for monarchs and leaders throughout history. It was, considered to be the stone of bishops, who still often wear amethyst rings. In Tibet, amethyst is considered to be sacred to Buddha and rosaries are often fashioned from it. Amethyst would be very expensive, were not for its widespread availability, as it is one of the few purple gems out there. There are some truly magnificent hydrothermal Quartz deposits on the eastern end of the Bolivian jungle near Santa Cruz. The majority of these desposits produce some superb Amethyst specimens with great color. The color and clarity of these crystals makes for some fantastic cut stones. This gem is a very attractive, good purple color (with slight blue and red overtones depending upon the light in which it's viewed), nearly eye clean gem with a beautiful "Oval Brilliant" cut. From the standpoint of color and size, this Amethyst is impressive for Bolivia. The most important aspect of the piece is that it is a genuine Bolivian Amethyst, and NOT from Brazil, which makes it much more rare and special. Most of the Bolivian material is cut in Brazil and marketed as being found in Brazil, but I wanted to maintain the pedigree of this gem. Enjoy. A great opportunity for somebody to acquire a good Amethyst gem to add to their collection.