These would normally be invisible, but when exposed to gamma rays, they make the quartz turn purple-into amethyst. It has trace amounts of iron, only a few parts per million. Since then, huge finds in many places, especially Brazil and Uruguay, have made amethyst plentiful and affordable.Īnd that’s good, because this brilliant purple gem is now available to everyone and is still just as striking.Įspecially when you consider that amethyst is just quartz with a few special qualities. In the Middle Ages, it adorned the rings of religious leaders and the scepters of royalty. The stone was thought to cool tempers and prevent drunkenness, so it was cut into jewelry for wise kings and crafted into wine goblets for those who hoped to stay sober. To Egyptians and ancient Greeks, amethysts were as precious as diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. This specimen is at the Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology in the French National Museum of Natural History in Paris. The mines that produce it have been depleted, so it is quite rare, making it the most valuable amethyst. “Deep Russian,” from Siberia, is the highest grade of amethyst.
0 kommentar(er)
