am Quartz. In my abundance, I am found in every corner of the earth. in my purest form, I am colorless, but I am most prized for my purple and golden varieties.
As a purple gemstone, I am known as Amethyst, and I was treasured by the Roman gods as a talisman to ward off the intoxicating powers of Bacchus. In my golden form, Citrine, the ancients revered me as a gift of the sun and a powerful antidote to the viper's venom.
Amethyst, the traditional birthstone for the month of February, is available in small and large sizes, although as with all gemstones, very large sizes in rich, deep colors have always been rare. Designers celebrate Amethyst as the idea choice for jewelry because of its regal color, variety of sizes and shapes, affordability, and wide tonal range, from light to dark purple.
Citrine, derived from the French word for lemon, in all of its glorious golden and yellow colors, is the most affordable of all the earth-toned gemstones and is the alternate birthstone for November.
Occasionally, Mother Nature combines the colors of amethyst and citrine into a single, exciting gemstone we call ametrine. The Anahi Mine in Bolivia became famous in the seventeenth century when a Spanish conquistador received it as a dowry when he married a princess from the Ayoreos tribe named Anahi. Ametrine was introduced to Europe through the conquistador's gifts to the Spanish queen.
Ametrine is as affordable as regular amethyst or citrine, and you can have both gemstones for the price of one. Ametrine is especially inexpensive when you consider that it comes from only one place.
Ametrine is a very durable gemstone suited for everyday wear. Your AGTA jeweler can tell you how to best care for your ametrine.
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