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The February birthstone is Amethyst. Happy Birthday to all those born in February!

The history of the amethyst.

Amethyst has a long history, and has been used for centuries in regal accessories, thanks to its colour purple which is traditionally associated with all things noble.

The Egyptians used it in their jewellery, and the ancient Greeks also wore it as an amulet or necklace, believing that it would ward off drunkenness. In fact, the Greek word ‘amethystos’ means ‘not drunken’; for this reason, many wine goblets were carved out of amethyst. The modern-day version would be to wear an amethyst cocktail ring.

Fine amethysts can be found in the British Crown Jewels as an example of  recent modern regality. While amethyst’s colour can range from light to a violet-purple, the regal choice of colour is a deep purple with hints of rose.

What does the amethyst represent?

Amethyst has long been associated not only with sobriety, but also for (possibly related?) headaches, backaches and pancreatic problems.

Greek mythology gives us a great story about the origins of the gemstone. The myth stands that Dionysus, the god of wine and intoxication, insulted by a human swore that he would exact revenge using violent tigers on the next mortal to cross his path. Amethyst, a young woman of great beauty, was on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana when she encountered Dionysus. To protect her from the tigers’ claws, Diana turned the young maiden into a statue of pure crystalline quartz. When he saw the status, Dionysus wept tears of remorse; these tears stained the quartz purple, giving us the gemstone as we know it today.

What do amethyst & citrine have in common?

Amethyst and citrine share the same mineral structure of quartz; the only difference between the two gemstones it the oxidised level of iron impurities in the amethyst. When amethyst is heated between 470 – 750 degrees celsius, these impurities can turn turn amethyst into golden citrine.

Amethyst as an engagement ring

Recently we talked about the rise of coloured gemstones being used for engagement rings; you can read that here.

This seems to be a trend that is continuing if judging from the response to our newest ring is anything to go by. Here we have a Brazilian A-grade amethyst & diamond halo ring set in 18 carat white gold; well, we couldn’t forget the diamonds altogether when talking about an engagement ring!

Would you wear this as an engagement ring?

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Images and ring by StyleRocks

Ms Gingham says: Yes! I for one would!

About Pascale: Pascale Helyar-Moray, Founder and Director of StyleRocks has fourteen years of financial services experience as a marketing and communications professional working with blue chip companies in Australia and the UK. Maternity leave forced her to re-examine her career options and in looking for a business she could run from home, created StyleRocks in order to harness her lifelong passion for jewellery.