Amethyst Birthstone: How to Choose the Perfect Gift for February

During the month of February, most people have Valentine’s Day on their mind as people look for jewelry to give and some are searching for a possible engagement ring to propose to their loved one. But whether you are celebrating this holiday, or another celebration such as a birthday, consider purchasing February’s birthstone—the amethyst. Here’s brief outline of everything you need to know about this beautiful quartz gemstone and why it’s the perfect gift to give to someone who is celebrating something in February.

How the amethyst came to be cherished

People have been wearing this gemstone for centuries because of its beautiful color, social status representation, and belief that amethyst has many different beneficial properties. During the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, citizens would wear it because they believed that it would help a person have a much clearer mind and make better decisions to have success in business and everyday life.

“Amethyst” is actually a Greek word that means, “not intoxicated,” and ancient Greek culture believed that it could help keep a person sober when consuming alcohol and thus people would drink wine from cups made of amethyst. Not that you should rely on that myth for your own sobriety, but both the gemstone and wine are similar in shade so it makes sense that the two would be connected. Egyptians held a similar belief that the gemstone is a cure for too much wine because the stone represented the zodiac sign for the goat, which is also considered the enemy of vines and vineyards.

The amethyst is often noted in Biblical scriptures, and is included in sculptures and carvings in churches for different figures including Saint Valentine, the high priest Aaron, and the twelfth foundation of the Holy City.

Just like wearing the color purple on a daily basis, royal figures wore amethysts as a representation of their status and ruling power during the Middle Ages. Catherine the Great of Russia was especially drawn to the beautiful stone, and hired workers to mine them for her in the Urals. It is one of the few gemstones that decorate the British Crown Jewels, which can still be seen on display today.

Locating amethyst gemstones

Amethyst is one of the most common quartz gemstones the earth has to offer, varying from shades of lilac to a deep maroon. However, depending on where the amethyst is being mined, each gemstone will have a different appearance and texture. For example, in the two Mexican cities of Veracruz and Guerrero (which are only 700km apart), the amethysts vary greatly. In Veracruz, the gemstone is pale and almost clear in color on the inside with a light purple shade on the outside. In Guerrero, the gemstone has an interior color of deep purple and a transparent exterior.

These two types of amethysts are two of the rarest in the whole world; however the quartz gemstone can be found indefinitely in every hemisphere, from the USA, Canada, Italy, Germany, and Russia in the north to Africa, Brazil, and Uruguay in the south. Because there are so many different types of amethyst gemstones based on their location throughout the world, they are characterized by different quality gemstone grades which go from lowest to highest in the following order: Bahrain, Uruguayan, to Siberian. Deep Siberian, a medium purple at a 7 from 0 (transparent) to 10 (black) is another prized shade of the gemstone and the grade of the color is based on elements of hue, tone, and saturation.

The amethyst birthstone for February can come in an array of beautiful shades and appearances. If you know someone celebrating an upcoming birthday, Valentine’s Day, or any other noteworthy occasion this month, why not look for a necklace, ring, or earrings made from amethyst?