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 As a purple gemstone, I am known as
Amethyst, and I was treasured by the Roman gods as a talisman to ward off the
intoxicating powers of Bacchus. In my golden form, Citrine, the ancients
revered me as a gift of the sun and a powerful antidote to the viper's
venom.
Amethyst,
the traditional birthstone for the month of February, is available in small and
large sizes, although as with all gemstones, very large sizes in rich, deep
colors have always been rare. Designers celebrate Amethyst as the idea choice
for jewelry because of its regal color, variety of sizes and shapes,
affordability, and wide tonal range, from light to dark
purple.
Citrine, derived from the French word for lemon, in all of its
glorious golden and yellow colors, is the most affordable of all the
earth-toned gemstones and is the alternate birthstone for November.
Occasionally, Mother Nature combines the colors of Amethyst and
Citrine into a single, exciting gemstone we call Ametrine. While Brazil is the
primary source of these three gemstones, both Amethyst and Citrine are found in
other locales, Zambia being a significant source for Amethyst. |
