An Ultimate Guide for February Birthstone
Women love to wear their birthstone just because they look beautiful and stunning. Birthstones is worn to benefit the one wearing it, but now it is also gifted as a gift during anniversaries. Birthstone jewelry as a gift expresses your love and commitment to the particular person in your life.
Birthstones are gems linked with a birth month, and each one has its own meaning and unique significance. Over time, astrologers began to associate each gemstone to the 12 zodiac signs and believed that each one has its own healing powers for the people born in each respective month. That is why it is called birthstones.
Birthstones are usually found in all kinds of jewelry as a fascinating reminder to celebrate your birth month all year long and make birthday gift shopping more fun and interesting. Now there are thousands of reasons why women are into birthstone jewelry. It could be a sweet remembrance for honoring the birth of your child, a celebration of something or someone special, or as a reminder of a memorable achievement or event.
Are you wondering where all these birthstone ideas come from? To answer that, let me give you a brief history of birthstones' origin.
History of Birthstones
Birthstones have been in existence since the 5th century. Thanks to the Christian scholars who relate the twelves stones they found on Aaron's Breastplate to the twelve months of the year and twelve zodiac signs. Back then, they believed that each of the gemstones was connected to a particular month and astrological alignment, and anyone wearing it can benefit from its therapeutic properties. Ancient people are accustomed to wearing one stone for each month of the year since each gemstone has its own meanings and significance. To date, this practice has been modified, and a person would only wear the stone for the month they were born.
There have been many disagreements and conflicting ideas over which stone should represent a calendar month until an official list written by Sears was published in 1912. Since then, there have been a few additions to the list, but it remains mostly unchanged over time.
Now, we go back to the main agenda of this article. People born in February are known to be an honest and devoted person that correlate to its birthstone properties. Amethyst is the February birthstone that helps its wearer be clear-headed and clever. Amethyst jewelry is known to bring its wearer good fortune, so if you are looking for a gift to give to someone you know, that is a Pisces, February-born, or treat yourself for this fascinating jewelry. Read on to learn everything about this prized gemstone, complete with great gift ideas for anyone who wants to express their authentic selves through this gem.
Amethyst
Amethyst is the world's famous purple gemstone and has been in existence for over 2000 years now. It is the one and the only birthstone for people who are born in February. It is also associated with celebrating the 4th, 6th, and 17th Wedding Anniversaries. There is no doubt that this is a beautiful gem to wear and own since it perfectly suits any fashion wear.
Amethyst is the gem world's princess and is a real delight to the eyes due to its mystical and aesthetic appearance.
Its Name
Amethyst comes from the Greek word "amethystos" which means "remedy for drunkenness.
Its Location
Amethyst can be found deep in rock cavities and mined in caves throughout the world. It was first discovered in Brazil in the 19th century and became the leading source of amethyst since then. Uruguay is the second country producing amethyst. On the other hand, Russia takes pride as the premiere source for exquisite amethyst quality, which is prized as the best of its varieties. Russian royalties adorned their jewelry because of its pristine look and value.
Zambia, located in Africa, produces a deeper and more vibrant purple color of amethyst and is considered the highest quality stone in the world. It is the most coveted among the amethyst variants in the world.
Arizona and South Carolina are the mining locations in the United States. They also turned those sites as one of their precious "tourist attractions" where they collect a fee "to mine" amethysts.
Other amethyst deposits can be sourced in Canada, India, France, Madagascar, Mexico, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Bolivia, and Tanzania.
Its Cultural and Historical Significance and Meanings
Many cultures worldwide have believed the amethyst as one of the most sacred stones in all history.
- Different Cultural Beliefs
- Romans believed that they will be protected against intoxication with wine consumption if they drank it in a cup with amethyst. This elegant cup carries the mystical power of the amethyst.
- British people adorned the royal family's crowns with the beauty of amethyst. It is a symbol of power, wealth, and royalty for them.
- Russian adorned their royalty's jewelry and crowns with amethyst because it also means royalty for them. Catherine the Great is one of Russia's royalties that ordered to use amethyst in all her personal belongings.
- Egyptians wore amethyst as amulets and jewelry because they thought of it as their protection for the afterlife and witchcraft. They also believed that amethyst protects them against guilt and fears.
- The Ancient Greeks wore amethyst to heal lung diseases, skin conditions and cleanse the blood. For women, it is believed to boost hormone production.
- Different Religions
- Catholic Bishops wore amethyst jewelry to protect the unholy effect of being drunk. The holy men wore it as rings as protection in anything every day.
- Christians associated the deep purple color of amethyst to Christ's crucifixion agony.
- Jews called amethyst "ahlamah" which means "dream stone," since they believed it is the source of powerful dreams. It is used as an adornment for the high priest's breastplate, Aaron, and it symbolizes one of the 12 tribes of Israel.
- Buddhists used amethyst beads in their meditation practices and associated the quality of Amethyst to Buddha.
Its Legends, Folklores, and Meanings
- The origin of the name amethyst is stated in the Greeks' old legend, which is associated with the wine god named Bacchus. Bacchus is believed to have a furious personality, and he got angry over an insult and to let go of his infuriating anger, he decided to throw the first person he will meet on his way. Unfortunately, he met a maiden named amethyst as she would pray at a shrine. As soon as the tigers attacked her, she turned into a clear crystal. She has bestowed protection of the goddess. After this incident, Bacchus felt ashamed and poured grape juice over the stone as an apologetic gesture that gave the crystal a purple color.
- The purple gemstone is closely associated with St. Valentine. The legend states that St. Valentine wore an amethyst ring that featured a carving of the likeness of Cupid. He believed that marriage belonged to the saints of God, but back young men were forbidden to marry since they will be soldiers instead. With this, St. Valentine wore the amethyst ring to signal young Roman soldiers that he is willing to perform a secret marriage ceremony if they wanted to.
- Cleopatra was sworn by an amethyst ring, which she believed is the culprit for her ability to captivate Marc Anthony and Julius Caesar. Since both men were Romans, ancient women in Rome began wearing amethyst jewelry as a charm to prevent their husbands from cheating.
Its Appearance
As most people thought has a dark purple color, amethyst actually occurs in many purple colors. The color of amethyst varies from pale lilac to deep purple. Its purple color can be so light that it is barely perceptible or rather so dark that it is nearly opaque in your naked eye.
It is one of the most valued and prized stones in the Quartz family and owes its purple color to iron and aluminum impurities.
Different Varieties of Amethyst
Amethyst color ranges from light violet to deep purple and can have a mixture of red and blue tones. Some people have come up with a variety of adjectives to describe the different shades of amethyst as follows:
- Orchid and Lavender - for the lighter purple shade
- Grape, Indigo, or Royal - for the darker purple shade
- Raspberry or Plum - for reddish colors
- Pink Amethyst
It is a soft-colored version of the traditional dark purple amethyst. It has cleansing energy and is believed to instill feelings of understanding, calmness, trust, and grace. It is believed to protect anyone against negative energy by opening the heart to love and tolerance
- Green Amethyst
It is known as prasiolite, and its color is a transparent shade of green. It represents inner vision, power, and self-love and connects us to Earth's element.
- Purple Amethyst
This is known to be connected to the mind, which aided our thought processes and intuition. It is said to promote clarity and calm our mindset amidst the confusion. It is also believed to ease the process of sorrow and grief by providing spiritual support.
Its Healing and Spiritual Properties and Benefits
- It relieves an individual from stress and strain, balances mood swings, and dispels anger, rage, fear, and anxiety.
- It has cleansing and healing powers by opening intuition and enhancing the psychic abilities of a person
- It makes a person mind sober by producing a calming effect to the mind and stimulating the body to keep people focus and aware of their surroundings
- It helps in remembering and understanding your dreams and cures insomnia.
- It brings balance to the endocrine system to help in your metabolism.
- It serves as a protection from all types of spiritual assault and is called the "Stone of Spirituality," which symbolizes stability, balance, peace, courage, sincerity, inner strength, and calm disposition.
Amethyst Jewelry
The reason why amethyst is the most sought gemstones for all types of jewelry is because of the following facts and reasons:
- Affordability - Buying a piece of amethyst jewelry will not cost you a fortune, and you can find one that can fit everyone's budget.
- Originality - Since amethyst comes in many varieties in terms of color, its color selection is second to none. So for sure, you can have a piece of unique amethyst jewelry for yourself.
- Accessibility - Thank to its abundance, you can easily purchase a beautiful amethyst anywhere in the world.
February born people are not the only ones that can benefit from this gemstone.
- Businessmen and diplomats
Amethyst is believed to calm and provide intellectual reasoning and spiritual insight to its bearer.
- Negotiators
This stone gives a distinct advantage during debates and helps them deal with angry temperaments.
- Gamblers and Impulsive Buyers
It can help guide you to avoid unwise investments and is known to be a prosperity stone to help you achieve your financial goals.
- Creative Artists
The dark shade of this stone is used as a talisman for creative arts and making tools, so it is considered a stone for artists, composers, inventors, poets, and painters. It brings them luck and peace of mind to create things.
There are so many ways to wear an Amethyst, and with its versatility and natural beauty, it can easily be paired with sterling silver. The sterling silver brings out and complements the natural brilliance of the purple color, making the Amethyst stone stand out more.
Its unique color, healing, and spiritual benefits are really great for anyone as a birthday gift, Valentine's gift, or even a gift for yourself. It works great with warm and cool tones, so it goes well beyond special event jewelry and can be used for everyday wear.
We have picked the best amethyst sterling silver jewelry our creative artisans handmade with love for you to choose from below.
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Amethyst Sterling Silver Earring
This works excellently with minimalist or lavish taste and can be vogue and chic with a classical touch and can spruce up any outfit!
- Radish Earring
Just like the Radish Earring, a fascinating handmade sterling silver jewelry made of either amethyst. The beautiful Amethyst gemstone makes your earring appear more colorful and vibrant, adding spice to your formal wear attire.
Think of dainty studs if you are into moderate style, and dangle earrings boost your outfit's elegance and style because of their striking colors.
BLOOMING ANEMONE FLOWER EARRING | BLOOMING ANEMONE FLOWER STUD EARRING |
Just like the Blooming Anemone Flower Earring and Blooming Anemone Flower Stud Earring. Each one is inspired by nature, made of sterling silver, 18k gold plated, and in the middle of the anemone flower is a stunning amethyst stone—a perfect gift for someone who loves purple and flowers.
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Amethyst Sterling Silver Ring
Sterling Silver Rings are ideal gifts for someone who wants to express their affection without marriage commitment. With Amethyst stone on your Sterling Silver Ring, it adds that beautiful pop of color that will truly stand out on your finger.
- Blooming Anemone Flower Ring
Like the Blooming Anemone Flower Ring, a stunning handmade sterling silver jewelry inspired by the beauty and importance of flowers to humans. This nature-inspired sterling silver jewelry is a perfect gift for yourself or as a promise ring that will set your commitment to be loyal and steadfast to her and serve as a symbol of love and trust.
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Amethyst Sterling Silver Pendant
This is at the top of most women's list of must-have gemstones because it is timeless and elegant and carries with it powerful charm power that keeps negative energy away from them.
- Blooming Anemone Flower Pendant
Like the Blooming Anemone Flower Pendant, a nature-inspired sterling silver jewelry that works on calming your mind from worries and fears. Thanks to amethyst's vibrant and rich purple color, this fabulous handmade sterling silver jewelry can be worn every day. It can fit well with all kinds of fashion wear to gain its majestic powers' full benefits.
How to Take Care of your Amethyst Sterling Silver Jewelry
On Mohs hardness scale, amethyst scored 7, which means it is durable enough for everyday wear, but it may show wear over time. Here are some pointers on how to take care of your amethyst sterling silver jewelry to last a lifetime.
- Keep it away from other jewelry that can easily scratch it.
- Excessive exposure to heat can produce discoloration, store it, or keep it away from intense light exposure.
- Do not wear it while swimming since harsh chemicals such as chlorine can damage the stone.
- It can be cleaned using ultrasonic cleaning, but steam cleaning is not recommended.
- Clean it by using a soft brush with mild soap.
Final Thoughts
Amethyst looks stunning when mixed with silver and gold, making it a favorite choice for earrings, rings, and pendants. Those born in February are honored with an enchanting and powerful gemstone that not only works to enhance any outfit but to provide a variety of benefits for your physical and mental well-being.
It is no surprise why this stone continues to be valued and loved throughout the ages for its well-cut appearances, vibrant colors, and health advantages.
Would you love to buy stunning amethyst sterling silver jewelry for the queen of your heart or treat yourself to a royal present? Check out our online store, Lotus Fun and shop for this brilliant gemstone for all its charm and splendor. Enjoy shopping!