Dangling Earrings: Amethyst Dangle Earrings
Amethyst Dangle Earrings add a nice touch to any outfit. Why wear Amethyst dangling earrings, you may ask. Perhaps it is your birthstone. Amethyst is the birthstone for the month of February. It is also the symbolic gemstone for the 17th wedding anniversary. Pisces, Virgo, Aquarius and Capricorn are all astrological signs of amethyst.
Or maybe you like the color purple! This color has long been considered a royal color. Fine amethysts were a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty, and are featured in the British Crown Jewels. Transparent purple quartz, amethyst, is the most important quartz variety used in jewelry.
Amethyst can be found throughout the world. Experts can often identify the mine of a certain amethyst’s origin because unique varieties of amethyst are produced in different locations. Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, Ontario, Vera Cruz and Guerrero, Mexico, Maine, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Colorado are known locations in the western hemisphere.
The name “amethyst” is of Greek origin, from the word “amethustos”, meaning “not drunken”. To this day, it symbolizes sobriety. The early Greeks believed it would protect one from drunkenness when consuming alcohol. In other words, if water was poured into a cup made of amethyst, it would look like wine without wine’s inebriative effect. In ancient cultures, amethyst amulets were worn as protection against poison and harm in battle, and to dispell sleep and sharpen one’s wits. Similar beliefs were still credited in medieval times.
During the Middle Ages, it was important in the ornamentation of Catholic and other churches and considered to be the stone of bishops. In fact, amethyst rings are still worn today, and rosaries are often fashioned from it.
The legend of the origin of amethyst also comes from the Greek myths. The Greek god of intoxication, Dionysus, swore revenge on the next mortal that crossed his path because of an insult from a mortal. So he created fierce tigers to carry out his wish. A beautiful young maiden by the name of Amethyst was on her way to pay tribute to the Greek goddess Diana, and to protect her from the claws of the tigers, Diana turned Amethyst into a statue of pure crystalline quartz. When Dionysus saw the beautiful statue of Amethyst, he wept tears of wine, which stained the quartz statue purple, creating the gem we know today as Amethyst.
This gemstone today is still known for sobriety. Amethysts are available in many shapes and sizes and range in color from very pale to deep purple. Hopefully this new knowledge of the legend of Amethyst, the history, and its origin, will give new meaning and make wearing amethyst dangle earrings more fun!
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