One of my favorite things is to go over to the mineral company and see what new ‘goodies’ they have gotten. This can sometimes be a dangerous trip; it becomes like Christmas and I act like a kid in a candy store, but I have fun when I’m there!
I knew that they had just received a brand new shipment of Amethyst this week, so I was excited to see what the smaller pieces would be like; especially since he told me they were a very deep dark purple, more than they have had before and quite high quality. To my surprise when I arrived and we started going through the shipment, he handed me this delicate little piece and said “I new this was one that would be perfect for you to wire wrap”.
This new little piece is so delicate and small; it will be an excellent specimen to wire; however the challenge will be working the wire in and around the frail delicate crystals and hopefully not breaking anything in the process. There is no outer ridge to work with like normal, just lots of tiny crystals; this is what makes this piece such an excellent specimen, at least in my optioning. I’m up for a challenge and this one definitely will be just that, so stay tuned, when I get it finished I’ll be posting the finished product! I’m not sure what I’ll do with it once it’s been wired; rather I’ll put it into a necklace piece or let it stand alone as a single pendant, which it most definitely can do!
A variety of vitreous quartz with purple, violet, or red-purple colorations, amethyst derives its name from the ancient Greek amethustos, meaning literally “not drunk’ as it was believed to guard against drunkenness. Traditionally associated with purity and piety, amethyst has also always been favored by royalty as purple is considered a regal blue.
Found in most countried where grantic rocks are exposed, amethyst occurs in alluvial deposits and geodes. Its coloration is principally due to traces of iron, and it is sometimes color-zoned due to twinning or preferential absorption on the rhombohedral faces. Major commercial sources of amethyst are Brazil, where it occurs in geodes that are frequently human-sized; but it is also found in Uruguay, Siberia and North America. Crystals from Brazilian and Uruguayan deposits are most often found as radiating masses, with individual crystals appearing as pyramids. Lower grad Brazilian and Uruguayan amethyst is frequently turned into citrine by heat treatment, which changes its color. Where both amethyst and citrine occur naturally in the same stone, the name is ametrine.
Amethyst has a long history as a gemstone. In the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, amethyst was highly valued and was used to create cylinder seals, engraved with a religious design and the owner’s name. The engraving was transferred to legal documents in the form of clay tablets by rolling the cylinder over the tablets. The ancient Egyptians also valued amethyst, using it in much of their jewelry. The Greeks wore an amethyst for protection against magic, homesickness, evil thoughts, and drunkenness. This is why wine was preferably served in amethyst beakers. In antiquity amethysts were also known as “stones of Bacchus”, because out of jealousy the goddess Diana had changed a nymph with whom Bacchus had fallen in love into an amethyst. It is said that the traditional properties of amethyst will alleviate migraines and improves concentration. It is said to attract justice and protection against burglars and thieves. It also wards of danger and violent death. It is the stone of Pisces, brings clarity to the conscious and unconscious minds and the birthstone for February.
Several pieces of amethyst have been wired and are available in our
online shop as pendants; this beautiful piece to the left never made it to the website, it was sold right away!
The focal is a beautiful amethyst chunk, surrounded by faceted deep purple amethyst crystals and chunky turquoise nuggets.
