Amethyst has a beautiful wine color and the Greeks associated it with Bacchus, the god of wine. Many believed that amethyst can keep its wearer clear headed or able to make rational business decisions as well as quick-witted in battle. If you wear it than it prevented drunkenness. Never knew a gem has that much power but the Greeks believed it.
There were legends for every gem that cultures have came across in time. Even today we have many legends about colors. The legend not to wear white after Labor Day. Another legend you only wear black to a funeral. Red roses mean romance. Yellow roses means friendship. Pink roses means love/appreciation. Orange roses mean enthusiasm. Imagine if those things were true.
British royalty wears the amethyst as well as on the fingers of bishops. It has been set in religious jewelry and royal crown jewels for centuries. Royalty families or bishops for religious reasons wore most gems whether it was on a robe or a crown.
Amethyst comes from the purple variety of the quartz mineral species. It is known with its color purple even though there are some gems with that color. The difference is the Amethyst purple can be cool and bluish, or a reddish purple that is often referred to as a raspberry color. People are mesmerized by its color and design.
Amethyst was as expensive as ruby and emerald until the 19th Century, when Brazil’s large deposits were discovered. It was believed to prevent intoxication—amethystos means “not drunk” in ancient Greek. Today, as the most valued quartz variety, amethyst is in demand for designer pieces and mass-market jewelry alike, and its purple to pastel hues retain wide consumer appeal. (http://www.gia.edu/amethyst)
Amethyst is the birthstone for February and one of the emblems of the twelve apostles.