The name
amethyst derives from amethustos, what means sober in ancient Greek. The Greek believed
that amethyst could prevent the bearer from becoming drunk. It was said that when
a person drank from an amethyst cup or goblet, the person would stay far from
drunk.
Amethyst is
commonly found as a part of a geode. One of the largest amethyst geode found is
from Uruguay and is called the “Empress of Uruguay”. It weighs 2.5 tons and is
3.27 meters tall and can be seen in the town of Atherton, near Cairns in
Queensland, Australia.
Amethyst is
found all over the world from Uruguay and Brazil, to North America, Europe and
Asia. One of the biggest amethyst mines in North America is the Thunder Bay mine
in Ontario, Canada. Thunder Bay amethyst deposit was discovered in 1955 has
been in production since 1960. Visitors can take a walking tour while seeing
the mining operation.
This most
important crown of all the crown jewels, St Edward’s Crown, is also decorated
with amethyst. The St Edwards crown is the official coronation crown that is
being used in the coronation of British monarchs and is also been used in the
coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II on June the second in 1953.
Amethyst
can be found as a geode or rough quartz. Amethyst can also be bought as a
pendant, droplet, necklace or bracelet.
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