My name is Cara Haas, and I am a Earth Science major at Emporia State University. I am currently enrolled in Mineralogy and for my final assignment I created a webpage on the purple variety of quartz. Amethyst has always been a favorite mineral of mine, therefore I chose to do my research and webpage on this magnificent mineral. Hopefully, you can learn from my background information on amethyst. Enjoy!

Amethyst is derived from the Greek word amethystos, which means not drunken. Once upon a time, amethyst was considered a strong antidote against drunkenness. Greek myths tell a story of Dionysius, the god of intoxication. It is said that one day an angry Dionysius swore revenge on the next mortal that crossed his path. Unexpectedly Amethyst, who was a beautiful young maiden, passed Dionysius walking on her way to visit the goddess Diana. It is then said that Diana turned Amethyst into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from all evil. The moment Dionysus saw Amethyst's beauty, tears fell from his eyes. The god's tears stained the quartz purple, creating the gem we know today.

Amethyst is formed in silica-rich liquids deposited in gas cavities of lava that occur in crystalline masses. Such cavities occur in the earth's crust for several reasons such as gas bubbling in circular cavities or filling of veins. Amethyst is often found in geode's, which help to understand that amethyst's fill cavities to maintain empty space. When amethyst crystals deposit into faults in forms of veins this particular type of cavity is called a druse. This habit forms toothy patterns, which are common in the appearance of amethyst specimens.

There have been many controversies over the type of environments Amethyst form in. A man by the name of Holden published a narrowed down list of five areas that Amethyst commonly occur in. (Holden 1925).

1. Plutonic igneous rocks, i.e. granite and pegmatite;
2. Quartz veins associated with pegmatite and granite;
3. Alpine-type veins where Amethyst is usually accompanied with iron-bearing minerals;
4.Metalliferous ore veins at intermediate depths;
5. Mafic volcanic rocks, which are most likely deposited in gas bubbles in holes of the lava.

Thus, knowing the type of environments that Amethyst are commonly found in, we can identify some common areas around the world where Amethyst is mined. Amethyst is found as worldwide availability. Common places include: Mexico, Brazil, Canada, United States, Uruguay, Africa, Italy, Germany and Russia.

Amethyst is one of several minerals in the quartz family. When two or more quartz members are found together, the name of the specimen is simply a combination of the mineral names. Example: Citrine and Amethyst together form a specimen known as Citrine Amethyst.

Amethyst is such a magnificent mineral because of its natural color that has a tendency to sparkle. Amethyst does not need any alterations to produce the brilliance. Amethyst also gained popularity when royal families began claiming purple as the official royal color. Thus, Amethyst was used in the past and still to this day amuses and entertains the rich and powerful.

In conclusion, I hope you now have a little background behind the magnificent mineral known as Amethyst. We are very fortunate there is abundance of this beautiful mineral worldwide to help make it affordable so that everyone can admire the true natural beauty of Amethyst.