AMETHYST

Amethyst - one of the Earth's beautiful stones.  Amethyst is a wonderful affordable purple gemstone. Purple has long been the color of royalty and nobility. The deep colors are the most valuable, particularly a rich purple with rose flashes.  Fine amethysts are featured in the British Crown Jewels and were also a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. There is evidence of Amethyst used as jewels dating back to around 3,000 B. C. in Egypt and in anterior Asia.
Amethyst is the most valuable transparent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz that is valued as a semiprecious gem for its violet color. It contains more iron oxide than any other variety of quartz, and experts believe that its color arises from its iron content.
 Amethyst is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, Siberia, Canada, India, Bolivia, and Argentina and some African countries. Zambia being a significant source for Amethyst. Generally, amethyst from South America tends to be available in larger sizes than African amethyst but amethyst from Africa has the reputation for having better, more saturated, color in small sizes. Very dark amethyst, mostly in small sizes, is also mined in Australia.  Amethyst is wonderful in rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings, and bracelets.