All About Amethyst Jewelry

What? Bring My Jewelry to the Dentist?

Some amethyst jewelry loses color in daylight, so storing it out of direct sunlight will help maintain the rich purple hue. Fortunately, its beautiful color can be restored by X-ray radiation, so the next time you get an X-ray (say, at the dentist’s), ask if you can bring some jewelry along.

Amethyst makes ideal handmade jewelry. Amethyst is a very hard gemstone, and is the most highly prized variety of quartz. If not for it's great abundance, it would be very expensive.

The stone’s name is derived from the Greek word amethystos, meaning “not drunken,” because people of ancient times believed it to protect the wearer from drunkenness. For this reason, wine goblets were often carved from it!

Lavender amethyst is a beautiful light purple variety of amethyst. Because of the light color and frequent cloudiness it is given a lower grade than dark, clear (translucent) amethyst.

Amethyst is found in gas cavities (geodes) in lava, and also sometimes grows as stalactites. Amethyst is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Argentina, the U.S.A., Zambia, Namibia and other African countries.

Amethyst is the February birthstone.

If you’re still wanting more information on amethyst jewelry, the International Colored Gemstone Association’s website is an excellent resource.

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