The Chinese have been wearing amethyst for more than 8,000 years. Tibetans consider this stone to be sacred to Buddha and make prayer beads from it. One lovely legend associated with the purple crystal is that it comes from Bacchus, the Greek god of wine. Mere mortals had angered this divinity, and he vowed a violent death—death by tiger—to the very next mortal he would encounter. A pretty girl by the name of Amethyst was en route to worship at the temple of Diana. The goddess Diana protected Amethyst by turning her into clear crystal quartz so she could not be torn apart by the ravaging tiger. Bacchus regretted his actions and anointed Amethyst with his sacred wine. However, he didn’t pour enough to cover here entirely, leaving her legs without color. Thus, amethyst is usually uneven in its purple color. The fact that Amethyst was anointed with wine also relates to the healing power of this stone to help with sobriety. The Greek word amethystos means “without wine.” In the Victorian era, a paler amethyst was called Rose de France and was a favorite stone in jewelry. The Victorians sometimes left amethysts out in the sun to fade them. Nowadays, the darker purple stones are considered much more valuable.
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