February Gemstone: Amethyst

February 14, 2024 2 min read

Once upon a time amethysts were as expensive as rubies and emeralds then in the 19th century huge deposits were found in Brazil and suddenly there was an abundance of Amethyst.

Historically, almost every royal house boasts an amethyst or two in its jewellery collection. Perhaps something to do with purple being associated with royalty. The name Amethyst comes from the Greek amethystos which means "a remedy against drunkenness" - The ancient Greeks believed that Amethysts could keep one from getting too drunk!

Amethyst is the gemstone for the sixth and 17th wedding anniversary.

Amethyst is found in many many shades of purple, from light purples to pink purples, reddish purples, rich deep purples and everything in between. It is the most valued variety of Quartz. When it comes to daily wear and tear, Amethyst is hard enough to be worn in jewellery including rings, measuring 7 on Moh's scale of hardness. This means amethyst can be scratched by gemstones with a higher rating on Moh's scale (ie harder) such as rubies and diamonds; so take care when stroring your amethyst jewellery. They will generally withstand a lot, however over time, they may show wear and require repolishing. Excessive heat can remove some colour and some amethysts fade with prolonged exposure to strong light. This means its not a good idea to wear your amethyst to the beach everyday.

As you may imagine with a gemstone that has been around for a long time there is some myth and lore surrounding amethysts; an interesting one is that Rennaisance Europeans thought this February gemstone calmed angry lovers. One thing that has withstood the test of time is amethysts popularity in jewellery pieces. Whilst abundant deposits have made it more accessible, its beauty has not diminished one bit. We have amethysts in our Entwined Gemstone Ring, Blithe Gemdrop Chain , Jacaranda Pod Necklace and others.

Client Reviews

from 59 reviews

Varaidzo V. Yvette Mahlahla

Butterfly Ring Size N

Butterfly ring

As usual, top notch service from Eileen. I love my ring and I have been wearing it every day since I received it

01/22/2024

Victor Steenbergen

Flame Lily earrings

Great earrings

12/27/2023

Keith Kanyowa

Africa Map Chain - Silver

silver men's chain

Great piece! Love it!

12/21/2023

Emmaculate Magugu

Green Labradorite Chain

A beautiful piece. Its so stunning. I will orer again

12/20/2023

Keitha Taylor

Msasa Pod chain

Fantastic service delivering a beautiful necklace - thank you so much!

10/06/2023

Phatie

Mystery Box 2

Totally amazing!

I loved everything that was in box. Every piece was unique and special in its own. It also felt like the items were tailor made for me. Like I prefer hook earrings to those with stoppers and I got an amazing pair of hook earrings. The box brought brightened my day :-)

09/18/2023

Petrina Lança

Mystery Box 2

Mysteriously Delighted

From taking the chance at trying out the mystery box✨ to waiting for it to arrive I had butterflies in my tummy. 🦋 What a delight to receive it and being surprised with such a wonderful treat. 🧚🏻‍♀️ In my mind I thought I’d regift the items for the many birthdays that are coming up but….. now I don’t know that I can 🤭
From ordering to receiving is always such a smooth ride. Thank you! … and I guess I’ll be shopping again soon 🥰

08/17/2023

Jessica Folkertsen

Mystery Box 2

Delighted

Last year I saw a particular piece that I adored in the Mystery Boxes but never ordered anything, this year I saw the same piece and when I asked Eileen how much the piece was on its own I thought I may as well go for the Mystery Box and hope for the best, so I crossed everything and ordered and I received my Mystery Box that I am so totally delighted with - I received the very special chain that I had my eye on, plus a stunning ring that I haven't seen in Eileen's shop and a beautfiul pair of earrings. I feel greedy keeping it all so may gift something forward but I also don't want to share! lol
Thank you Eileen for your stunning jewelry and this wonderful Mystery Box idea!

08/15/2023

S.S.

www.eileenmjewellery.com

$150 gift box

I am so extremely happy with my gift box. I can't tell you how ecstatic I was to receive my box. And then to see that I received the mystery necklace as well! I'm over the moon with what I received! Rhank you Eileen for making my weekend so very special!!

08/15/2023

Tadiwanashe Kainga

www.eileenmjewellery.com

Great service and product

08/02/2023