Amethyst (rich color)

Item Description

There are only a few places in the world that produce really rich Amethyst. The old Siberian material has long been mined out, and although Zambia produces very rich Amethyst gems, the production has almost dwindled to nothing in recent years. The only two places where we see any good rich Amethyst is the the Artigas area in Uruguay, and various localities in Brazil. This material has some of the most intense "grape jelly" purple color you'll ever see in Amethyst. The color is completely natural and very difficult to find elsewhere. This stone is a wonderful, saturated, deep purple color stone with only moderate inclusions and a "Bar Cabochon" cut. Don't miss out on this superb color gem. 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.