February Birthstone - Amethyst

For those born in February, Amethyst is their traditional birthstone. The birthstone poem

The February-born shall find

Sincerity and peace of mind,

Freedom from passion and from care,

If they an amethyst will wear

suggests some of the properties that come with wearing an Amethyst, e.g., sincerity, peace, balance, courage, inner strength, stability and a calm disposition.

Matt Amethyst and Vermeil Necklace

Amethyst is the purple coloured variety of the mineral quartz that has been used in jewellery for centuries. Although Amethyst is always purple, it comes in many shades. The name comes from the Ancient Greek words meaning "not" and "intoxicated", and is also referred to as the "sobriety stone" as it was once believed to prevent drunkenness and used to treat alcoholism and other types of addictions. It was used in jewellery by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, and beads of Amethyst have been found in Anglo-Saxon graves in England.

Matt Amethyst and Sterling Silver Necklace

It is reputed to be effective for health problems relating to the withdrawal symptoms of any type of addiction, headaches, insomnia, arthritis, pain relief, circulatory system issues and general healing.

It is an ancient precious stone that was created when the stones of the Earth's crust were still hardly solid. In the Middle Ages it was more expensive than diamond, but has since lost its value due to large deposits being found in more recent times. It is mined in many places across the world and different localities can produce an Amethyst unique to that area (experts can often identify the source mine that a particular Amethyst came from.

Micro-faceted Amethyst and Sterling Silver Bracelet