AMETHYST

pronunciation – Amethyst – “am–uh-thist”

A stone of sobriety, Amethyst raises our vibration in service of self-love and positive thinking. This crystal serves as the February birthstone and occurs in many fascinating variations such as Ametrine and Pink Amethyst. Read on to learn more about Amethyst!

SPIRITUAL HEALING PROPERTIES OF AMETHYST

Amethyst vibrates with extreme gratitude, promotes common sense, and is a potent energy amplifier. It facilitates the transformation of low vibrations into higher frequencies and connects the earthly plane to the ethereal.

Because of its ability to raise vibrational levels, Amethyst is often referred to as the sobriety stone. This quality helps with overcoming addiction by facilitating healthy, positive thinking and by promoting integrity, self-love, and healing. Amethyst’s vibrational purity also encourages new ideas by diminishing unproductive or unkind thoughts. 

Amethyst also enhances meditation by allowing one to open and activate their crown chakra. This increases the user’s ability to make fair and flexible decisions and manage responsibilities by balancing the mental, emotional, and physical bodies.

PHYSICAL HEALING PROPERTIES OF AMETHYST

This powerful healing crystal supports those who struggle with stress disorders and mental health issues, and it can also help with the process of recovering from addiction.

With regard to physical conditions, Amethyst can help ease symptoms of asthma, arthritis, headaches, insomnia, and blood sugar imbalance. Furthermore, this stone also helps with memory issues, poor posture, and hearing loss.

PHOTO GALLERY

AMETHYST CRYSTAL CORRESPONDENCES

HEALING PROPERTIES	Sobriety, Intuition, Calming, Transformation, Healing
CHAKRAS	Crown
ZODIAC SIGNS	Aquarius, Pisces, Virgo, Capricorn
PLANETARY RULERS	Jupiter
NUMBERS	0, 3
TAROT	The Fool, The Empress
ELEMENTS	Air
DEITIES	Dionysus, Bacchus, Jesus Christ, Diana, Artemis, Khepri
PAIRINGS	Rose Quartz, Clear Quartz, Moldavite

LORE & HISTORY

In Greek, the term amethystos means not intoxicated. This refers to a Greek myth about Dionysus, the god of the vine.

As legend has it, Dionysus grew angry over a perceived insult from a mortal and swore that he would send tigers to attack the next mortal that crossed his path. An innocent woman indeed crossed his path on her way to the temple of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and wild animals. Dionysus unleashed the tigers on her, but Artemis stepped in, turning the woman into a clear stone to protect her. Realizing his error, Dionysus wept with remorse and tipped his goblet of wine over in tribute. The wine then stained the stone purple, leading the Greeks to believe that Amethyst, a stone of an equally purple hue, would keep them from the ills of intoxication.

Both the ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks considered Amethyst to be as valuable as Diamonds and Ruby. The former set Amethyst in protective amulets meant for royalty. This was because they believed the stone would protect the wearer from witchcraft and ward off feelings of fear or guilt.

In terms of Eastern cultures, Amethyst is considered sacred to Buddha. Feng Shui, the Chinese art of using the flow of energy to dictate spatial arrangement, uses Amethyst to clear negative energy. 

Amethyst is furthermore a notable stone within biblical lore. As told by the book of Exodus, it was one of the twelve gemstones set into Aaron’s breastplate representing the twelve tribes of Israel. In Hebrew, the name for Amethyst is ahlamah, which means dream stone. 

HOW TO USE AMETHYST

Amethyst pairs excellently with meditation and dream work. Hold it in your hands as you meditate, or place it on your crown chakra. 

On the Body: Carry in a pocket or bag or wear it in jewelry to help maintain a high vibration.

Inside: Amethyst will fade when exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods of time, so make sure to keep it out of direct sun or windows. The bedroom is one of the best places for Amethyst in your home, because of its peaceful and dream-enhancing properties.

Outside: Stick dragon tooth points or tumbles in the dirt next to plants outside (or in potted plants inside) to help them grow and infuse them with healing energy.

CLEANING AND CLEANSING AMETHYST

Physical Cleaning: Clean Amethyst with canned air to remove dust and debris. Amethyst can also be cleaned with a mild soap or detergent and rinsed, or it can be wiped down with a damp cloth.

Energetic Cleansing: There are numerous ways to energetically cleanse Amethyst.

• Set on or next to Selenite or Satin Spar, or set in lavender.
• Use smoke from herb bundles or incense.
• Cleanse using the water method by running it under cool water with your fingers pointed toward the drain of the sink. Do this for about 30 seconds. Dry gently with a towel, and set out to dry completely.
• Charge under the full moonlight.

AMETHYST TOXICITY AND POTENTIAL ALLERGENS

Amethyst contains no known allergens or toxins; however, the possibility of harmful mineral inclusions or radiation remains, depending on the locale.

For more information and citations regarding toxic, poisonous, and otherwise dangerous crystals, visit our Toxic Crystals page!

GEM ELIXIRS

Amethyst is generally thought to be safe for use in gem elixirs made with the direct method. It is a hard mineral and does not contain any toxins directly. However, as with all stones, the possibility remains of harmful mineral inclusions. To be completely safe, using the indirect method is best.

OTHER NAMES FOR AMETHYST

Common Names: Eyelid of Venus (an ancient name for Amethyst)
Trade Names: Rose de France (trade name for light, lavender-colored Amethyst)
Trademarked Names: Amegreen™ (a trademarked name for the combination of Amethyst and Prasiolite, also known as green Amethyst)
Amezez™ (a trademarked name for chevron/banded Amethyst)
Synergite™ (a trademarked name for Amethyst with Cacoxenite inclusions)

GEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

The color of Amethyst ranges from light lavender to pale violet to deep purple.  It may additionally exhibit one or both secondary hues of red or blue.  This color comes from irradiation, iron impurities, and sometimes transition metals.  As a naturally dichroic mineral, it may appear red-violet to blue-violet when seen from different angles.

Many types of Amethyst are heat treated to deepen the purple color. When heated to temperatures over 300℃ the purple turns to an orange or yellow color akin to Citrine; in fact, most of the Citrine on the market today is actually heat-treated Amethyst. 

Amethyst grows in many different crystal habits and growth forms ranging from masses of chevron Amethyst to the perfect crystal points found in Veracruz Amethyst. As a variety of quartz, Amethyst possesses the same hardness which makes it ideal for jewelry.  Widely considered a semi-precious gemstone, high-quality pieces can be found in Siberia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Uruguay, and Eastern Asia. 

CHEMICAL FORMULA	(SiO2)
SHAPE	Trapezohedral
CRYSTAL SYSTEM	Trigonal
HABIT	Crystalline – Coarse – Occurs as well-formed coarse-sized crystals. Crystalline – Fine – Occurs as well-formed fine-sized crystals. Druse – Crystal growth in a cavity which results in numerous crystal-tipped surfaces.
COLOR	Violet – Purple
STREAK	White
LUSTER	Vitreous (Glassy)
DIAPHANEITY	Transparent
HARDNESS	7.0 Mohs
CLEAVAGE	{0110} Indistinct
FRACTURE	Conchoidal – Fractures developed in brittle materials characterized by smoothly curving surfaces.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY	2.65 kg/cm3
REFRACTIVE INDEX	1.54 – 1.55
OPTICAL PROPERTIES	Uniaxial (+), w=1.543-1.545, e=1.552-1.554

AMETHYST VARIATIONS

Ametrine

Ametrine activates the crown, solar plexus, and third eye chakras in order to manifest spirituality in daily life. This stone balances masculine & feminine energies and also releases negativity from the aura. Check out our Ametrine page to learn more about this crystal which combines Amethyst with Citrine!

Auralite 23™

Auralite 23™ emits a high vibration in order to realign the user with their true path in life. This transformative stone supports releasing outdated patterns and achieving spiritual evolution. Check out our Auralite 23™ page to learn more about this amazing Amethyst crystal!

Cholla de Vera Cruz/Pink Amethyst

Cholla de Vera Cruz Amethyst, sometimes referred to as Pink Amethyst, stimulates the third eye chakra in order to help awaken metaphysical gifts and deeper states of perception. It enhances meditation and also connects one to their angels or spirit guides.

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DISCLAIMER

Crystallography Gems, inc. and CrystallographyGems.com do not dispense medical advice nor prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for medical problems. Always seek the advice of your medical physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions that you might have about a medical condition.