February's Birthstone

A spectacular stone when given by sweetheart to sweetheart is reputed to strengthen their emotional bond

One of the most spectacluar members of the quartz family, amethyst displays a wide variety of quality and colour, from pale milky colours, pink and mauve to the deep, dark purple gemstone shown below

It's believed that wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck and ward of illnesses and negative energies. But if you wear a birthstone other than the one representing your birth month it's believed this will bring you bad luck.

If you were born in February, your birthstone is the captivating purple variety of Amethyst. The perfect choice for an Aquarius and Pisces who can enjoy having one of the most prized and ancient stones in the World as their birthstone.

Aquarius is prone to rebelliousness and indecisiveness so will benefit from the calming and soothing properties of Amethyst.

Pisces are emotional and affectionate so will benefit from the incredibly protective properties of Amethyst.

Because of the expense it cost to create the colour for fabric, purple has long been considered a regal colour, so you'll notice Amethyst gemstones frequently appear in royal and religious jewellery.

Until the 19th century, amethysts were as valuable and expensive as emeralds, sapphires and rubies, but then a large deposit of amethysts was discovered in Brazil. Although this lowered the stone's value, it allowed large amethysts to be used more frequently in jewellery making it more affordable for many.

Why is Amethyst the Birthstone for February?

Well, legend has it the God of Wine, Dionysus, wanted to punish men for disregarding his creation because of their overindulgence and mindless drinking.

Dionysus descended from Mount Olympus and punished the first person he came across, turning this person into white quartz. This human was said to be a beautiful woman named Amethyst.

He immediately felt remorse over what he had done when he saw the woman and began to cry tears of wine over her statue.

As the wine seeped through the white quartz, it changed colour from white to purple. It is said that all Amethyst stones originated from this statue.

Because of this association with the Greek god of wine, ancient Greeks believed that Amethyst protects you against drunkenness.

Whether or not tale is true, Amethyst is undeniably a gorgeous stone that should be a part of any jewellery collection not just for February!