Mineral Monday - Amethyst

Good Mineral Monday all!  Today I want to talk about what is in my opinion a very royal gemstone, a deep and mysterious mineral.

Amethyst is a variety of quartz and its colour can vary from very light pink to deep violet with secondary hues of red and blue.

Why does it vary so much? Because amethyst is simply quartz that has been exposed to radiation or contains iron impurities or trace elements. In fact, amethyst can be made synthetically by simply radiating quartz.

Because of its origin, the violet colour may only be on the surface and the colour may even change when the stone is heated!

Nova Scotia amethyst tends to be light in colour but, as can be seen by the photos, may be dark as well.

Amethyst gets its name from two greek words meaning "not" and "intoxicated" from the belief that it protected its owner from drunkenness. In fact, it was often used for drinking vessels.

Here are some examples of some light amethysts we found on the beach by our home. 

You may not know by now but my fave colour is green.  Next to that is amethyst.  I find it so peaceful and elegant.  You can find some examples of it in our store and in the next few months we hope to have more.  It is such a versatile yarn colour, can go with so many different colours for that "pop" where you might need it. 

I would love to hear what you guys think....what is your favorite colour or mineral?