In 1993, the makers of Crayola crayons debuted 16 new colors, and held a contest for the public to name the new colors. A Minneapolis native named Mildred Sampson submitted the name, “purple mountains’ majesty,” and the 89 year old won! Purple is the favorite color of many, and the signature color of another famous Minnesotan–the late musician, Prince.
The world of gemstones has its own majestic purple; amethyst. Amethyst is the purple variety of the quartz mineral species. It’s the gem that’s most commonly associated with the color purple, even though there are other purple gemstones such as sapphire and tanzanite. Its purple color can be cool and bluish, or a reddish purple that’s sometimes referred to as “raspberry amethyst.”
Amethyst’s purple color can range from a light lilac to a deep, intense royal purple, and from brownish to vivid. Amethyst also commonly shows what is called “color zoning,” which in the case of amethyst usually consists of angular zones of darker to lighter color.
Because of its wine-like color, early Greek legends associated amethyst with Bacchus, the God of wine. Other legends reflected beliefs that amethyst kept its wearer clear-headed and quick-witted in battle and in business affairs. Because amethyst was associated with wine, it was falsely believed that wearing amethyst prevented drunkenness! 
Fine amethysts have been set in religious jewelry and royal crown jewels for ages. It was once considered equal in value to ruby, emerald, and sapphire. It’s no wonder that fine amethyst adorns the fingers of bishops as well as the coronation regalia of British royalty.
Amethyst (and quartz in general) is a relatively soft stone, and with daily wear will show scratching and chipping in as little as a year. There are different measures of gem hardness and durability, but it is safe to say that fine amethyst jewelry should be treated with care. Our experts can guide you through the specifics of any stone.
Amethyst is the birthstone for February and also a good stone set in yellow gold for Vikings fans custom jewelry!
photo credit top photo: Daniel Trinchillo
