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Birthstones for February -- Amethyst

Amethyst Jewelry Making GemstoneThe birthstone for February is the amethyst.  Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (Silicon Dioxide) and as such has a hardness of 7.  Amethyst as an element in jewelry was known since antiquity and was very popular among the ancient Egyptians and Greeks.  The name amethyst comes from a Greek word meaning "not drunken".  This name was devised because the ancient Greeks believed that drinking from an amethyst cup could prevent intoxication.  (Don't try this at home.  It doesn't work.)  While amethyst was traditionally included among the "cardinal", or most valuable gemstones (including diamond, sapphire, ruby and emerald), amethyst has recently declined in value due to the discovery of extensive deposits of the gemstone. 

There is some diversity of opinion on the chemical source of the purple color in amethyst.  Interesting enough, upon exposure to heat, amethyst becomes yellow.  In fact, citrine, a yellow variety of quartz, is sometimes called "burnt amethyst" for this reason. 

For more information on amethyst please visit Wikipedia here.

Please select the picture above-right or select here to view our selection of man-made amethyst and amethyst colored CZs in our Internet store.

  Birthstones                    View our Amethyst Jewelry Making Kits

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Amethyst"
Last updated 3/30/2007

This WigJig web page is provided as part of WigJig University - College of Jewelry Making Techniques.  We try to provide interesting jewelry making techniques using beads, jewelry wire and other jewelry supplies.  We hope that the jewelry making skills taught on these web pages will provide you enough information for you to incorporate these techniques in your own jewelry making projects.  For beginners, we suggest that you start with a visit to our Beginners Jewelry Making pages. These pages discuss the skills necessary for making jewelry in the detail that beginners need. We also suggest that beginners to jewelry making might need to visit the WigJig University College of Jewelry Making Designs for jewelry making projects using the skills and techniques shown here. 

 Most, but not all of the jewelry supplies shown here can be purchased in our WigJig store.  We try to have a complete selection of jewelry supplies in our store including chain, wire, glass beads, findings, watches, tools, etc. 

The jewelry making projects shown here do not use Sterling Silver.  The reason for this is simple, it is harder to get good pictures of Sterling Silver wire components than with colored wire including gold-filled, copper, or brass wire.  Any project shown in colored wire can be made in Sterling Silver wire.