February 2010

The February born shall find
Sincerity and peace of mind,
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they, the amethyst will wear.
--author unknown

According to legend, amethyst originated when Bacchus, the God of Wine, grew angry at mortals. He vowed the next mortal that crossed his path would be eaten by tigers. At that time, a beautiful young maiden named Amethyst was on her way to worship the Goddess Diana. Diana, knowing of Bacchus vow, turned Amethyst into a pillar of colorless quartz to protect her from the tigers. Bacchus, witnessing the miracle, repented and poured wine over Amethyst, staining her purple.

Amethyst is the birthstone for February; typically given on 4th, 6th and 17th wedding anniversaries.

A birthstone is a gift of a precious material (jewelry, mainly gemstones; themselves traditionally associated with various qualities) that symbolizes the month of birth in the Gregorian Calendar. It is sometimes also called birthday stone

Leonardo Da Vinci thought this gem could "dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence"

It is associated with celibacy and piety

This member of the quartz family gets its name from amethysts, the Greek word for sober.

Dark rich, royal colors of amethyst have been treasured by kings and queens for centuries and can be traced back to the Minoan period in Greece (c. 2500 B.C.). During the 15th century the French fleur-de-lis brooch could only be worn by the Royal family on ceremonial occasions.

One of the largest cut amethysts in the world is 343 carats and is housed at the National History Museum in London.

The two main sources of amethyst are Brazil and Zambia although it is also found in Uruguay, Russia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, and the US state of Arizona

Ah February the month of my birth
much love
gillena

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