Amethyst and Alexandrite
First let us put some light on, what is a difference between gem and jewelry. A gem or gemstone, also known as a precious stone, is a small piece of mineral which is quite attractive. This piece, when cut and polished is used to make a jewelry, which is a personal ornament, such as necklaces, rings etc. Jewelry is derived from and old French word “jocale”, meaning plaything, and is one of the oldest form of the body adornment. Many semi-precious and precious stones are used for jewelry such as Amber- which must be at least 1 to 10 million old to be classified as amber, Emerald, Jade, Alexandrite, Jasper, Quartz, and Ruby-the most highly valued precious gemstones, Sapphire, Turquoise, Amethyst, and the most commonly known and used gem is Diamond which were first mined in India. These gems are set into precious metal such as bronze-used in ancient times and gold, platinum, titanium, palladium or silver included in modern fine jewelry. Other common materials include glass, carved or tuned wood, shells, natural and polymer clay and even plastics. Now we shall talk about Amethyst and Alexandrite among all other gems.
Amethyst is crystalline quartz in shades of purple, lilac or mauve. It’s a stone traditionally worn to instill a sober mind. The name amethyst comes from the Greek which means ‘not drunken’. This name was given due to a belief that these gems would guard against drunkenness and would prevent intoxication.. It is believed that it will bring about pleasant dream if we put an amethyst stone under our pillow. It is been used to relieve headache by rubbing it across the forehead. Amethyst is a fairly hard gem and is the rarest form of quartz. It can be found in a crystal form or a mass. It is usually a prismatic crystal with six sides at either end and can be found within geodes across the globe. The medium dark purple amethyst with bits of rose coloring is the best one. Like other crystals, it has some important abilities that are responsible for its benefits. Amethyst has the power to focus energy so it is placed on the area of the body in need of healing. It is usually used for the problems in heart and lungs. Amethyst crystals are very beneficial to keep the air and life force in the home clean and to heal negativity.
Now we shall talk about another Gem known as Alexandrite which has a glamorous past. Its discovery was made in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1830. It was named after Czar Alexander II, since the Russian imperial colors were red and green, on the occasion of its coming age ceremony. Alexandrite is a beautiful and a remarkable gemstone that has a surprising ability to change its colors depending on the light source. It is one of the most fascinating gemstone in nature. Because of its great absorption power of certain colors, alexandrite looks bluish-green in daylight and reddish purple in artificial light. This unique optical characteristic makes it one of the most valuable gemstone on earth. The more the change in color, the more valuable the alexandrite is.
