Monday 6 February 2012

Amethyst-February's Birthstone

The february born shall find
Sincerity and peace of mind,
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they, the amethyst will wear.


February's Amethyst Birthstone is said to protect its wearer against intoxication and seduction. The violet hues in this stone come from a purple quartz variety and can vary from light pink to deep purple. For many thousands of years, the most striking representative of the quartz family has been a jewel coveted by princes both ecclesiastical and secular. Moses described it as a symbol of the Spirit of God in the official robes of the High Priest of the Jews, and the Russian Empress Catherine the Great sent thousands of miners into the Urls to look for it. The greeks believed that amethyst protected the wearer against drunkenness and was often used in the carving of wine goblets. The name for the purple quartz originated from the Greek word 'amethystos' meaning 'not intoxicated'.
Amethysts are know to have properties of stability, peace, balance, courage and inner strength. The wearers of this birthstone are known to have traits of sincerity and a calm disposition.
Amethyst rates a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale
The healing properties of the birthstone are reputed to be effective for the following related health problems:
-Withdrawal symptoms of any sort of addiction.
-headaches
-insomnia
-Arthritis,
-Pain relief
-Blood circulation issues