From the Greek "amethystos"—meaning "not drunk." The ancient Greeks believed that drinking from a cup carved of this stone would prevent intoxication.

Brazil, Uruguay, Zambia. Mined across the globe, though the depth of purple shifts with origin. Trace iron and radiation stain transparent quartz violet. The same composition, under slightly different conditions, yields a different shade.

Until the eighteenth century, amethyst was traded at a value equal to diamond. The discovery of vast deposits in Brazil ended that. Yet the stone itself has not changed. Only the standard moved.