The Amethyst is the February birthstone which is purple, transparent and from the quartz family. Its name originates from the Greek word amethystos meaning “not drunken” and has long been considered as a curative for those prone to drunkenness. This stems from the legend of a drunken god named Dionysus who pursued a Greek maiden named Amethystos. To remain chaste, Amethystos prayed to the goddess Artemis and in answer the goddess turned her into a white stone. Remorse overtook Dionysus and is said to have cried tears of wine over it. In so doing, the stone turned purple, hence the Amethyst.
When buying an amethyst as the February birthstone, light is one very important factor that needs to be taken into consideration. The way wavelengths of light strike the human eye will determine how we perceive that light to be. The way these light waves strike the gemstone is also affected by the way a particular stone is cut. It is up to the gem cutter to cut the gem in such a way so that the gem will allow the most possible light to enter and return back up through the top of the stone to reach your eye. The more light, the more brilliant your February birthstone will look. If a stone is too shallow a lot of light will escape through the bottom of the stone while a stone that is too steep will dissipate the light out the side of the stone instead of via the top. Thanks to modern technology and computers gem cutter are now able to design and then review their designs to ensure that a particular design will indeed reflect light out the top or table of the gemstone. Now they can see before cutting that they will most certainly get the right effect and they can also see exactly where they need to cut too.
It is not only light that will make your February birthstone so special. One amazing fact of the amethyst is that each region can produce its own kind of amethyst unique to the area and some are even unique to the mine that they were mined from. Gemologists that know these details are able to tell you exactly which area certain amethyst hails from. Brazil is the primary source for Amethysts today while other fine Amethysts can also be found in Zambia. This February birthstone has been related in many stories, myths and legends through the centuries. It is symbolic of royalty since the color of royalty is purple but most of all you will feel like royalty when wearing this magnificent purple gemstone.
It is worth the effort to take time when choosing an Amethyst. Take all the factors into consideration and you will be well on your way to have one of the most gorgeous February birthstone gifts to give the one you love. This gorgeous blend of purple and red color is pleasing to the eye and will turn heads wherever you go..