Amethysts in Jewelry at the Smithsonian

 The Smithsonian has a fantastic collection of amethysts in jewelry at the National Museum of Natural History!  Here are just a few.  Check out the links for more information about each piece. 

96-carat amethyst and diamond brooch in a platinum mounting, cir. 1915

https://geogallery.si.edu/10002703/amethyst-heart-brooch

56-carat square cushion-cut amethyst in 18k gold setting by Louis Comfort Tiffany, circa 1915

https://geogallery.si.edu/10002737/tiffany-amethyst-necklace

10-carat amethyst in 18k white gold from Four Peaks mine, Arizona, USA

https://geogallery.si.edu/10026476/quartz-var-amethyst

Amethysts in Ancient History

Bacchus by Caravaggio

According to Greek mythology,  Dionysus, the god of fruitfulness and wine,  was angered by a woman named Amethystos.   Amethystos preferred the goddess Diana to Dionysus.   He sent two tigers to eat Amethystos. Diana rescued Amethystos by turning her into clear quartz (not much of a rescue!)  Dionysus was so sorry that he cried into his wine and then spilled it on the clear quartz, staining it purple and creating the first amethyst. 

The name amethyst is from the ancient Greek word "amethustos" which means "not drunk."    Because of the Dionysys myth, the Ancient Greeks thought that drinking from a vessel fashioned from amethyst would keep them from getting drunk.  They probably had a lot of fun testing that theory! 

In Exodus 28-19 in the Bible, the last gemstone in the third row of the High Priest's breastplate is thought to be amethyst by most scholars. 

In Hebrew, the name for amethyst is 'ahlamah' from the word halam meaning 'to dream.'   They thought wearing amethyst would give you good dreams.

In medieval times, amethyst was believed to keep your thoughts pure and make you more intelligent.

Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1356897

In the early Christian church, amethyst was also believed to have spiritual qualities and was part of a bishop's regalia.  The best quality amethyst is often called "bishop's grade."  

Artist Spotlight: Microscopic Garnet Photos by Ethan Beckler

 Ethan Beckler takes amazing photos of garnets the size of a grain of sand! 

You can see more of his work here: https://www.facebook.com/1of1images/

Above is a garnet on a shell.  Below is the same garnet on the edge of a penny!

Above, garnet on a strand of hair.  Below, lovingly examine by a spider.

New Jadeite Filter!

 

We did it! After tons of research and trial and error, we created our very own Jadeite filter.  We know there are other filters on the market, but we think ours is the best.  It gives really strong reactions that are easier to see than other jadeite filters. 

While filters alone are not a definitive test, they can be very helpful. They don't tell you what something IS, rather what something IS NOT.   By the way, there are bigger photos of the reactions on the website and I will be adding more. Please share your photos, too!

Filters can help distinguish between dyed and natural jade. 

They can also help quickly sort stones when buying a lot.  Say you are buying a lot of tsavorite garnet, you can use a filter to do a quick check to see if they are all at least giving you the same red reaction under the filter.  If they don't, that's a heads up that some of the stones maybe something else. In the example photo above, I added some green tourmaline to a lot of tsavorites. As you can see, under the filter the tsavorite reacts red, while the tourmalines are showing the blue of the filter.  Again, not a guarantee that the stones that react red are tsavorites, but at least you know the ones that don't, are not. Pretty cool, eh?

You can find the jadeite filter HERE.

Below are some photos showing the filter in use:

Some Possible Jadeite Filter Reactions
Natural Jade = Green
Dyed Jade = Pink
Tsavorite/Demantoid = Pink
Alexandrite = Red
Red Spinel = Bright Red
Amethyst/Citrine = Red
White Zircon = Pink
Yellow Apatite = Pink
Natural Blue Topaz = Pink
Silver Topaz = Pink

10% off Coupon from PrettyRock.com - Ends 1/31/21

 

10% off all orders
Use coupon code:  SnowDay2021

Valid 1/15/2021  to 1/31/2021
Discounts can not be combined. No cash value.
Can not be applied to previous orders.