Earrings, Amethyst in Sterling Silver

Item Description

This is an attractive pair of natural "Round" cut fine purple color Amethyst gems set into Sterling Silver earrings. The saturation of the purple is pretty good for the size, are both VVS in clarity. Amethyst is the birthstone for February, so these earrings could make a nice gift idea for someone with a birthday in that month. Interestingly, the name "amethyst" comes from the Greek "a-methystos" meaning "not drunken,". In Greek mythology, Dionysus (who was drunk as the time) was upset when he was advances were denied by a mortal, and swore revenge on the next unfortunate to cross his path, who was a young lady named Amethyst. Dionysus sent two angry tigers in her direction, and as Amethyst screamed, Dionysus filled his goblet. Diana saw Dionysus’ shenanigans and quickly turned Amethyst into a Quartz statue. This protected Amethyst, but the spell couldn’t be reversed, and in turn a guilt-ridden Dionysus wept over the incident. Collapsing to the ground Dionysus’ tears fell into his goblet, which splashed onto the Quartz statue, creating the purple gem we call Amethyst.
Wine goblets in the ancient world were often carved from Amethyst, 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.