It’s pretty common knowledge that the birthstone for February is Amethyst… but why? In today’s society don’t most people associate February with Valentine’s Day, winter, snow perhaps? None of these associations speak purple to me, so why the Amethyst? Why not Rubies, red- the color of love?
Well, the history behind birthstones is a muddled one. There are actually a variety of birthstone charts out there, though it’s commonly believed that birthstones were originally linked to the Zodiac as opposed to the calendar year. Different stones were believed to resonate with different signs. The Amethyst was linked to Pisces, in late February.
Zodiac Birthstone Chart
So, despite our modern associations with the month of February, Amethysts as a stone for that time of the year predate even our modern calendar. Though, admittedly the current birthstone chart has undergone so many variations that the reason behind most of them is perhaps just that jewelers wanted to sell more of a particular gemstone…
Amethyst Ring
Since gemstones were first discovered and worn by the earliest peoples, they’ve been thought to have magical and medicinal properties. Amethysts were thought to bring stability, peace, balance, courage, and inner strength to its wearer. It was believed to cure withdrawal symptoms of any addiction, and cure headaches and insomnia. A magical little stone and, until the 19th century, extremely rare, it was used mostly in religious and royal crown jewelry. Which is why purple is considered such a royal color!
It was around the 18th century that birthstones became associated with months. Of course, throughout the years, the chart has changed again and again, but here is what most jewelers agree upon today.
Amethysts are one of the most prized variety of quartz (one of the most common minerals on earth!). It was once considered to be of equal value to rubies, emeralds, and sapphires due to it’s scarcity. However, a large amethyst source was discovered in Brazil in the 19th century and since then Amethysts have been readily available across the globe, and for a pretty affordable price! Today, about 75% of commercial amethysts on the market were mined in South America.
Below is an image of what amethyst crystals typically look like before they’re fashioned into faceted or cabbed stones for jewelry. The color variation is very common and means that when the individual stones are cut out of the larger crystal, the cutter has to be careful about making a stone that appears uniform in color. It’s pretty good practice if you’re purchasing a loose amethyst to place it top (table) down on a white card to make sure your stone is uniform in color.
Amethyst Crystals
Amethysts have a whole range of color from pale lilac to a dark (almost black) purple. The most prized color is a vivid, medium dark purple with reddish flashes (hope that’s not too confusing- gemologists have a whole language all their own when discussing the colors of gemstones). As with all gemstones, amethysts are graded after being cut- since most faceted amethysts on the market are “eyeclean” (no visible inclusions or fractures to the naked eye), most of what they’re being graded on is color. Here is a break down of the typical grades:
- AAA: vivid, medium dark reddish purple or purple color with no visible face up color zoning
- AA-A: slightly less saturated color with some face up color zoning
- B: light lilac color (typical of mass market jewelry)
- C: grayish, pale purple color
Though, as always, if you’re purchasing a gemstone what really matters is what appeals to you. The industry preferences aren’t as important as personal preferences!
The most common treatment for amethysts is heat. Usually a dark amethyst will be heated to lighten it. Sometimes amethysts will be heated to change their color to orange to create a citrine!
Got any questions about amethysts or other gemstones? Leave us a reply and our jewelers will get back to you (if we don’t know the answer- we’ll find it!).
Thanks for reading!!
- posted on 07/16/2010