Gemstone Facts - Dsy Beads India

Sept. 22, 2012 - PRLog -- Amethyst

Dionysus, known for his love of grape juice, was the Greek god of wine; however after a few goblets he became a little confrontational. One day in the forest with goblet in hand, the tipsy Dionysus took insult from a passing mortal that refused to show him respect. The incident provoked his wrath and Dionysus swore revenge on the next mortal that he saw…

Along came Amethyst, a beautiful young maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. Dionysus targeted amethyst as the object of his revenge, and with the snap of his fingers, he summoned two ferocious tigers to devour the girl. As Dionysus sat back to enjoy the spectacle, Amethyst cried out to her goddess Diana. Seeing what was about to happen, Diana transformed Amethyst into a glimmering pure white quartz statue, thus protecting her from the ferocious tigers. Moved with guilt, Dionysus realized the ruthlessness of his actions and began to weep with sorrow. As the tears dripped into his goblet, Dionysus collapsed, spilling the tear-tainted wine onto the statue of Amethyst. The white quartz absorbed the wine’s color creating the colored gem that we refer to today as amethyst, the gemstone of the gods.

Ametrine

Ametrine is one of the world’s most unusual gemstones in that it is actually two gems in one. Bi-color ametrine blends the golden sunburst of citrine with the violet sunset of amethyst.

Andalusite

Andalusite, an aluminum silicate, derives its name from the site of its discovery, Almeria in the southern Spanish province of Andalusia.
While andalusite’s color play has been compared to alexandrite, this is technically incorrect, as pleochroic (displaying different colors in different directions) gemstones like andalusite feature all their colors at once, whereas alexandrite only changes color in different light sources.

Apatite

While it sounds like it’s hungry, it’s actually trying to fool you. The name apatite comes from the Greek word apatao, meaning “to deceive,” as apatite has often been confused with gems such as tourmaline, peridot (olivine) and beryl. Ironically, the phosphates in bones and teeth of all vertebrate animals are members of the apatite group, so the hunger connection is quite appropriate after all.

Aquamarine

Symbolizing the near perfect clarity and transparency of the ocean, the sheer beauty of aquamarine, with its wonderful color and fantastic clarity, makes it popular with both the collector and the wearer of fine jewelry. It will come as no surprise that its name was derived from the Latin words for “water of the sea.”
Blue, one of the world’s most popular colors, is famous for its calming effect, and out of all the blues available none match the serenity found in aquamarine. Aquamarine embodies all that is natural. Aquamarine, the sparkling birthstone for March, ranges from pastel blue to light green, its tones reminiscent of an invigorating sea breeze.

Carnelian

Also known as sadoine or Mecca Stone and sometimes spelled cornelian, the name is derived from the Latin world for flesh, carne, due to its orangey red color.

Chalcedony

Chalcedony’s (also spelled calcedony, it is correctly pronounced as kal-ced-on-ee and is the catchall term for cryptocrystalline quartz) name is derived from Chalcedon or Calchedon, an ancient port of Bithynia, near present day Istanbul, Turkey.
It has a waxy luster and appears in a great variety of colors including blue, white, buff, tan, green, red, grey, black, yellow or brown. Different colored varieties of chalcedony have individual names including agate (banded), bloodstone (green with red spots), chalcedony (blue to brownish blue), chrysoprase (apple green), carnelian (orange to red), flint (dull grey to black), jasper (spotted red, yellow, brown or green) and sard (light to dark brown).

Citrine

Citrine is the yellow variety of macrocrystalline quartz that takes its name from citron, the French word for lemon. Citrine is a beautiful transparent gemstone and one of November’s birthstones.

Garnet

Garnet has a history spanning more than 5,000 years. Deriving its name from the Latin word for seed, granatus, garnet was so named because of its similar color to pomegranate seeds.
From the svelte necklines of Abyssinian princesses to the powdered décolletage of Marie Antoinette, the captivating mystique of garnets has made them a timeless symbol of feminine beauty. The imaginative lure of this “queen of gems” intoxicates the senses.


Ankit Yadav
DsyBeads.Com Team
ankit@dsybeads.com
www.dsybeads.com