Amethyst (Dark) Beaded Bracelet

Amethyst is stable and safe to handle. Prolonged direct sunlight can fade its purple and strong heat can permanently turn it yellow or orange, so keep it away from both. Cleanse briefly with cool water and avoid harsh chemicals.

Amethyst grows inside gas pockets left in cooling volcanic rock, where silica-rich fluids seep in and crystallize slowly into pointed purple quartz. Trace iron, altered over time by natural radiation in the surrounding rock, gives the stone its violet color, from soft lavender to deep royal purple.

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz, silicon dioxide (SiO2). Its color comes from trace iron (Fe3+) altered by natural irradiation. It crystallizes in the trigonal system, typically as six-sided prisms with pyramidal terminations, and often lines geodes and volcanic cavities. Heating turns most amethyst yellow to orange, and much of the citrine sold commercially is heat-treated amethyst.

• In 1576 the French poet Rémy Belleau wrote the legend most people know today: the maiden Amethyste is turned to clear stone to escape Bacchus, and the god, in remorse, pours wine over the crystal and stains it violet.
• The Greek name amethystos means "not intoxicated," and drinking vessels were carved from the stone in the belief that it kept the drinker clear-headed.
• Medieval European soldiers carried amethyst amulets into battle for protection and a cool head, and bishops wore amethyst rings as a sign of piety and sober judgment.