10 Dec Amethyst Crystal – Meaning, Uses, & Healing Properties
Amethyst crystals are one of the most popular gemstones in today’s world. The purple semi-precious stone is most commonly used in jewelry and is widely believed to grant its wearer excellent healing properties and protection.
Learn everything there is to know about this beautiful amethyst stone: its history and symbolism, how much it’s worth, and what it can be used for.
In This Article
- What are Amethyst Crystals?
- A Brief History of Amethyst
- Amethyst Meaning & Symbolism
- How Much Amethyst’s Worth
- Varieties of Amethyst
- Properties of Amethyst
- Amethyst Forms & Shapes
- Amethyst Healing Properties
- Other Special Benefits
- Bad Effects Of Amethyst Stones
- Amethyst & Other Crystal Combinations
- How Do You Recharge & Cleanse Amethyst?
- How to Use Amethyst Stones
- FAQs
- Conclusion
What are Amethyst Crystals?
The amethyst crystal is known as the purple variety of the quartz family and is a semiprecious stone. It owes its distinctive purple hue to radiation exposure, the impurities of iron, transition metals, and other trace elements. Its hardness is similar to the quartz, making these extremely durable and highly suitable in intricate jewelry making.
This crystal is also known as the traditional birthstone for those born in February, the zodiac sign Pisces, and the universal stone symbolizing the 6th anniversary of marriage.
In the present day, naturally-formed amethysts can be found in South America, mainly: Sri Lanka, Brazil, Siberia, Uruguay, Namibia, and the Far East.
A Brief History of Amethyst
Amethyst derives its name from the Greek word αμέθυστος (amethystos), which translates to “not intoxicated.” Ancient Greeks believed that the amethyst stone protected the wearer from drunkenness and overindulgence. They wore this gem around their necks and carved drinking vials from it to use whenever they had festivities and celebrations.
In the Middle Ages, wearing amethyst was a tell-tale symbol of royalty. The ancient Tibetans used the purple quartz to make prayer beads for Buddha.
Furthermore, in ancient Egypt, they made jewelry and amulets from amethyst gems. They believed these would give them protection against witchcraft in the physical world and guide them in the afterlife.
Amethyst Meaning & Symbolism
The amethyst activates spiritual awareness and keeps you grounded, tranquil, and calm. It is said that this crystal can calm your mind and spirit and promote emotional wisdom. In line with its ancient Greek word definition “not intoxicated,” this crystal would greatly help in achieving sobriety in the spiritual center whenever its wearer is troubled.
On the other hand, the Chinese believed that the purple crystal brought forth a tremendous abundance of any form. Those who practiced Feng Shui are told to place this crystal inside their bedrooms to invite abundance in romance or place it in the house’s wealth area.
How Much Amethyst’s Worth
The amethyst gemstone used to be of high value as they were believed to be extremely rare, in line with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. However, in the 18th century, extensive deposits of these were found in Brazil, making them easily mined and abundant.
Nowadays, amethyst stones aren’t very expensive. The overall size of the stone doesn’t play a big role in its market value, unlike other precious gems like diamonds.
Collectors would, however, highly consider the depth of color in natural amethyst gems and would pay top price for those with unique red flashes of color. The highest-grade amethyst, called the “Deep Russian,” is an amethyst with a gorgeous berry color with red and blue streaks. It is considered exceptionally rare.
Varieties of Amethyst
Lavender Amethyst
The Lavender Amethyst is known to most people as the “stone of wisdom.” This stone helps in awakening one’s soul and higher consciousness through intuition and dreams. Its color is a distinct milky lavender, unlike traditional amethysts with deep purple shades.
Canadian Amethyst
The Canadian Amethyst originates from Canada in North America. This variant has a hematite coating under its surface and is known to carry soothing and grounded energy.
Ametrine
Ametrine is a unique mix of amethyst and citrine stones within the same crystal. This purple and yellow gemstone brings clarity, boosts concentration, and encourages objective and rational thinking.
Cactus Quartz
The Cactus Quartz, found primarily in South Africa, gets its name from the cactus plant. It is a large upright purple gem, with little clusters of smaller purple gems all around it. It is known as a crystal of harmony and alignment.
Veracruz Amethyst
The Veracruz Amethyst gets its name from its native source area: Veracruz, Mexico. This crystal is lighter in color, with only the slightest tinge of lilac, and is said to promote spiritual growth.
Properties of Amethyst
Metaphysical
People consider the amethyst stone to have a multitude of beneficial metaphysical properties. In line with its Greek translation, “not intoxicated,” this stone symbolizes calmness, balance, and peace.
Those who want to delve deeper into their spiritualities would also be remiss if they didn’t associate with the amethyst crystal. As the color blue and purple is often associated with the inner chakra, it is said that this spiritual stone is the closest thing to bridging the gap between the physical and spiritual realms.
The purple amethyst promotes the opening of the sixth sense and third eye chakra, also known as intuition. These two metaphysical properties end up blooming and becoming more powerful in those who use the amethyst stone.
When the third eye is closed, there is no room for spiritual enlightenment to foster and grow. The person might struggle with negative energy like depression, anxiety, and cynicism. On the other hand, when the third eye is fully open, torrents of inner wisdom and intuition will flow within, giving rise to calmness, clarity, and creativity.
Physical
Amethyst crystals form in volcanic rock activity. Their physical properties are formed inside igneous volcanic rocks called basalts, which are created by volcanic lava. Over time, water and other minerals pool inside the hollow rocks and harden, thus creating an amethyst geode.
The amethyst stone has a distinct dark purple hue, with color tones that range from pale violet to a deep reddish-purple. Its color results from the substitution of irradiation of trivalent iron, the presence of other trace elements, and displacement of transition elements.
The amethyst has a hardness of seven in the Mohs scale, at par with quartz. The prismatic crystals are highly durable and can withstand various cuts and shapes to fashion into jewelry.
Synthetic amethyst, on the other hand, is grown in laboratories. It is produced via a hydrothermal synthesis method, which simply means that the crystals are grown inside a high-pressure autoclave (equipment that requires a boiling temperature higher than the natural boiling point).
It is said that the quality of a synthetic amethyst very closely resembles the natural amethyst, and that gemologists have a hard time differentiating the two unless advanced gemological testing is used.
Amethyst Forms & Shapes
Points
Amethyst points would probably be the first thing that comes to mind when people think of amethysts. The precious stone appears pointed because of the unique formation of crystals in the tip. The amethyst crystals’ point can also be polished to create a more defined tip.
Clusters
Amethyst clusters are formed in an open space environment and take on the shape of many groups of amethysts fused and welded together. Due to the size, it is often heavy and are the perfect charging stations for your other crystals.
Tumbled Stones
Tumbled amethyst stones have a smooth surface, making them easy to store inside pockets or bags. They are often considered a portable meditative stone to attract positivity and ward off unsound investments, impulse buying, and gambling addictions.
This is the amethyst shape that is most commonly repurposed into jewelry, amulets, or keepsakes.
Raw
Raw amethysts are not very large and rarely over 30cm in length. These precious stones are composed of silicon dioxide with traces of iron. They often have undefined surfaces and unclear prism faces.
However, raw amethysts are still effective in keeping peace and harmony in the place it’s stationed at. Some people bring these crystals on trips to ensure protection and bring them back home safe and energized.
Plates
Amethyst plates are the surface of an amethyst geode. These can come in various sizes, from a plate as small as half an inch to something that’s over seven inches in diameter. You will likely notice a layer of gray agate on one surface, which is the base of the plate.
These are most commonly used as ornamental pieces and can maintain the balance of energy in a room. In Chinese Feng Shui, hanging an amethyst plate on your bedroom would rekindle romantic relationships. Amethyst can even ward off marital problems like adultery.
Spheres
Amethyst spheres, much like tumbled stones, have a polished look and feel to them. The purple sphere can be used as a crystal ball for divination and can strengthen one’s intuition. This can also be found as an ornamental piece to any home and is a symbol of wholeness, completion, karma, and the motion of cyclical energies.
Geodes
Natural amethyst geodes are spherical rocks with hollow cavities. These are also often used as ornaments to the home and can contribute in restoring balance and harmony.
Amethyst Healing Properties
Mental
Those who are more in tune with spirituality and crystals know the bluish-violet crystal as the great “problem-solver” of the crystal world. Amethyst crystals are deeply rooted in the crown chakra and can provide its user spiritual wisdom and extreme mental clarity. It is also the perfect crystal to gift us a sharper sense of communication, so other people have an easier time understanding exactly what we want to say.
Emotional
Whenever we’re faced with emotionally difficult situations, we often find ourselves at a loss in doing what’s best. Our emotions overtake all rational thinking.
However, when we take a step back and assess the situation, we often would find that it wasn’t as difficult as it seemed, and we were making a big deal out of nothing.
The amethyst’s ability is to help us get to that impassive state so we may make it through difficult choices with as little pain and stress as possible. It balances mood swings, promotes emotional wisdom, and gives you extreme clarity of the mind.
When confronted in an argument, the calming stone would also help you stay cool and collected, so your emotions don’t get the better of you.
Physical
Many physical healing properties can be attributed to the amethyst crystal, like strengthening the immune system and speedy recovery after chemotherapy. Amethyst encourages treating illnesses situated in the lungs, pancreas, and spleen and can help with conditions relating to the reproductive system, such as fertility.
Aside from all that, natural amethysts also have healing powers to relieve stress and detoxify the body.
Other Special Benefits
As A Zodiac Birthstone
Amethyst is the birthstone for those born in February or those who are under the Pisces sign. The amethyst for those born in February is a symbol of courage and strong relationships with others. Pisces are known empaths, and the amethyst assists in making sure that their mental health stays on top and that they don’t get burnt out when they listen to the woes of others.
Bad Effects Of Amethyst Stones
When using amethyst stones, negative effects can be present, but these are very rare and far between. These negative effects include migraines, dizziness, nausea, breast pain, abdominal bloating, water retention, and even skin issues, like rashes and acne.
Amethyst & Other Crystal Combinations
Amethyst & Rose Quartz
You will notice an abundance of love when you combine amethyst and rose quartz together. A deep connection with others resulting in a harmonious relationship is to be expected. However, it doesn’t have to be romantic love; it can also be directed inwards, in the form of self-love or deep love for friends.
Amethyst & Citrine
Using a combination of amethyst and citrine will give you nothing but happiness. You will also be a magnet to many positive vibes such as generosity, self-belief, self-esteem, and even wealth. Both of these precious gemstones will give you the clarity to make the right decisions when it comes to finances.
Amethyst & Aquamarine
Both amethyst and aquamarine are March birthstones and can work hand in hand for someone to achieve a sense of tranquility and positivity. Improved communication and good relationships with others are also expected.
Amethyst & Tourmaline
Tourmaline’s properties include a strong ability to repel all negativities, including negative energies and thoughts. Combined with amethyst, this will give you extreme healing energy, which is great for someone who is feeling stressed at work. Placing this on your bedside will ensure deep, restful sleep that is free of nightmares.
How Do You Recharge & Cleanse Amethyst?
It’s fairly easy to recharge an amethyst crystal. Place the crystal in the center of a bowl full of salt, and set the bowl under direct sunlight anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours. The sunlight will help greatly in supercharging the purple crystal.
Once this is done, bring the stone inside and gently run it through cold filtered water. Set it atop a dry towel to air dry.
How to Use Amethyst Stones
Home & Office
Adding an amethyst to any room of your home or office can facilitate positive vibrations, peace, and tranquility. Since the amethyst can help calm the mind, it’s a great idea to place this in places where stress is more likely to be induced, like conference rooms. This crystal can also stimulate the energy for new ideas and actions that give rise to creative pursuits.
Placing an amethyst in the bedroom can also help deepen the connection in couples.
Jewelry
Amethyst jewelry can come in the form of an amethyst ring, pendant, and amulet. This crystal brings peace and clarity to the bearer so that they may remain calm when dealing with others with angry temperaments or maintain a clear head when faced with risky investments.
It is also considered a luck and prosperity crystal, so those who wear amethyst will more likely reach their own financial goals.
FAQs
Does Amethyst fade?
It depends. Amethysts are unlikely to fade if they are handled with utmost care. However, the deep purple color will fade if they are left in the sun for too long or are exposed to harmful UV rays. The same is true if the crystal is exposed to heat.
Is Amethyst a stone or crystal?
The amethyst can be both a stone and crystal. The amethyst is a family member of the quartz, which are semiprecious stones. However, they can also come in crystal formation, which are ions, atoms, and molecules grouped to make them solid.
Can Amethyst stones be clear?
Authentic amethyst stones appear quite clear to the eye, or “eye-clean.” There shouldn’t be inclusions present to the naked eye in the crystal.
Is it okay to wet Amethyst stones?
Yes, but with restrictions. Amethyst stones can get wet, but they shouldn’t be exposed to water for long periods. Prolonged exposure to water can cause unwanted damage. If the stone does get wet, set it on a towel and leave it to dry in the sunlight.
Conclusion
The amethyst, a powerful and protective stone, brings forth calmness, peace, and tranquility to its wearer by still having the bearer understand and go through all the emotions. There’s a reason why this crystal is one of the most popular crystals out there — it’s because few stones can mimic its power.
The wonderful balance of understanding and processing your emotions while still making the best decision with the utmost clarity is something most people need nowadays to heal their crown chakra. Having the amethyst crystal by your side is extremely beneficial.
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