The purple essence, amethyst, is beautiful enough for crown jewels and at the same time affordable enough for first-class rings.
Amethyst – banishes bad thoughts and speeds up thinking (Leonardo da Vinci).
The history of amethyst as a gemstone goes back a long way. It was highly valued by ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. They made seals with engraved religious images and the name of the owner. In ancient China, they made small gems from it. It was also valued by the Etruscans and ancient Romans. The Egyptians also often used it in their jewelry in the predynastic period. It was already known in the Old and especially in the Middle Kingdom (2055 – 1650 BC) and in the Greco-Roman period (332 BC to 311 AD). It was a favorite stone of jewelry. They obtained it from the occurrences in Nubia (area along the river Nile). An amethyst bull’s head was found during archeological excavations in Mochlos, Crete (1700 – 1450 BC). In the old tombs in Mycenae, dated to the period 1650 – 1550 BC. l., a lenticular amethyst seal showing a bearded head was found. Amethyst as a gemstone is often found in Byzantine jewelry.
In the Middle Ages, amethyst was also highly valued in Europe. It was imported from the Middle East in the pre-Islamic period. Ancient Christians believed in its calming qualities and spiritual strength, so it can be found on many ecclesiastical objects. Based on this faith, it gradually became a symbol of high spiritual status and has since been part of the episcopal insignia. It is decorated with rings, crosses, reliquaries, chalices, monstrances, robes, etc. From the Vatican treasure is known the so-called papal amethyst ring. Amethysts are e.g. in the crown of the Holy Roman Empire from the 10th century, which was probably made on the occasion of the coronation of Emperor Otto I the Great. There are several large amethysts on it.
The crown of the Russian Empress Irina Godunova was also decorated with amethyst. This purple stone also adorned the scepter of the powerful Russian queen Catherine the Great and beautifies the same symbol of power of British Queen Elizabeth II. The second beautiful amethyst in English coronation jewels is placed on a royal apple. Amethyst is not missing among the precious stones, whose beauty was used at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé. An imperial egg from 1911, known as the Bay Tree, was decorated with amethyst. Amethyst in the value of 55 thousand Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis was also proud of the dollars, with the American actress Joan Crawford with a 75-carat amethyst in her ring, as well as the crown for the winner of the Miss Universe Slovak Republic’s 2010 beauty contest.
Amethyst is the most sought after and most beautiful variety of crystalline quartz. It is purple, but the color is not uniform throughout the crystal. The richer shade of purple is usually on the tip of the crystal. The purple color of amethyst is given by the content of ferrous or ferric iron. Quality amethysts have great value, so they are often in jewelry, along with diamonds. Large occurrences are in Brazil, Agrika, Russia, Madagascar and others.
