Amethyst In The Violet Spotlight

February delivers an unpredictable month of gloomy rain showers, shivering temperatures amongst the short, dark days of monotony for many. The semi-precious violet birthstone of Amethyst therefore provides a soothing antidote of strength to fight the February fatigue and inject a little warmth through its calming properties of of peace, stability and courage.

As one of the most widely used naturally hard gems, Amethyst is generally sourced in the form of six-sided crystals and contains the second most abundant minerals in the world: Quartz. An Amethyst's colour can range greatly from a pale mauve to a much more intense and deeply beautiful purple.

The colour spectrum of Amethyst from purple, pale lilac and mauve correlate to its geographical location with gems sourced in and around Eastern Mexico being very pale in colour whilst brighter, more pigmented stones are found closer to Central and Southwest Mexico. The physical colour properties of this precious gemstone is highly sensitive and unstable meaning that their colours can depreciate through prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Historically, the colour of purple Amethyst has been strongly hailed as a symbol of royalty with the gemstone being used as an adornment of many precious crowns as a symbolic gesture of power, humility and material wealth. Having always been strongly related to higher societal class, Amethyst was thought to deliver visions of power and prophecies of riches to those that wore it. The stone is believed to encourage a sense of contemplation and bravery to its wearer and is thought to be a precious gem that controls evil misgivings to reveal the most pure, intelligent and selfless beings within mankind.

Being a stone of power, protection and healing, Amethyst has a rich history as a natural and therapeutic aid for bodily ailments such as overindulgence and excessive drinking. Amethyst is thought to install a clear and wise wind to its wearer with ancient Egyptians using this gemstone as a symbol of the goat. The goat is of significance within this zodiac energetic field as it was thought to be the antidote to wine in its strong dislike of vineyards. Since then, this vibrant violet gemstone has been considered to represent the act of sobriety.

Amethyst is also strongly connected to restoring he equilibrium of a healthy sleep cycle. It is thought that the low level of heat emitted from the purple stone helps to calm bodily activities, loosen the mental blocks associated with stress and heal the frequency of bad dreams. As a spiritual stone, Amethyst is seen as a natural healer which is why when placed under a pillow as its wearer sleeps, amethyst is seen to bring about prophetic dreams, drive away insomnia and emotional struggles by bestowing courage and good judgement.

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