The amethyst is a violet extravagance. For many thousands of years, the amethyst has been the most striking representative of the large quartz family and a jewel coveted by princes both ecclesiastical and secular. Moses described it as a symbol of the Spirit of God in the official robes of the High Priest of the Jews, and the Russian Empress Catherine the Great sent thousands of miners into the Ural mountains to look for it. In ancient times, amethyst was already being engraved and cut into sculptured forms. In earlier times, people liked to drink wine from amethyst cups, which speaks of the stone's folklore of protection against alcoholism or drunkenness.
There was a time when amethyst was rare, but it has been found in many areas in recent years, and therefore, it's availability is no longer limited. This is the reason many of us remember when amethyst commanded much higher prices, and its expanded availability has enjoyably put it within reach of many more consumers. Deep clear amethysts may be easier to locate, but certainly they remain one of the most coveted gemstones, from mineral specimens to faceted gems to beads.
