Sterling Silver Genuine Cape Amethyst Custom Design Keepsake Rosary Bracelet
.925 Sterling Silver
Saint Pendants: Italian Pewter
Cross Charm: Silver Plated (Sterling Silver available upon request)
The bracelet measures approximate 6 1/2" long.
All adjustments are free of charge
** One-of-Kind Custom Designs Available **
** Variety of Saint Pendants Available Upon Request
Amethyst:
Its color is as unique as it is seductive, though in fact this gemstone of all gemstones is said to protect its wearer against seduction. The amethyst is extravagance in violet. For many thousands of years, the most striking representative of the quartz family has been a jewel coveted by princes both ecclesiastical and secular. Moses described it as a symbol of the Spirit of God in the official robes of the High Priest of the Jews, and the Russian Empress Catherine the Great sent thousands of miners into the Urals to look for it. In popular belief, the amethyst offers protection against drunkenness - for the Greek words 'amethystos' mean 'not intoxicated' in translation. A more apt stone for the month of February, particularly if there is to be plenty going on in the way of carnival celebrations, could thus hardly be wished for.
A large number of further miraculous powers are attributed to the amethyst in all sorts of cultures. It was said to protect crops against tempests and locusts, bring good fortune in war and in the hunt, drive out evil spirits and inspire the intellect. A little study of the works of Pliny will reveal that this gemstone, if worn round the neck on a cord made from dog's hair, affords protection against snakebite. Later, Hieronymus even reported that eagles placed an amethyst in their nest in order to protect their young from the selfsame danger. Apart from these powers, gemstone therapists say that the amethyst has a sobering and cleansing effect. Amethyst has also been said to quell excessive stomach acid and, according to Hildegard von Bingen, served to combat insect bites and beautify the skin. But the amethyst not only had a firm niche in medicine; it was also esteemed as a stone of friendship. And since it was thought to put the wearer in a chaste frame of mind and symbolize trust and piety, the amethyst came to occupy a very prominent position in the ornaments of the Catholic clergy over the centuries. It was the stone of bishops and cardinals; we find it in prelates' crosses and in the so-called Papal Ring (Italian, 15th century) in the Jewelry Museum in Pforzheim.
The deposits with the greatest economic significance
are in various states in southern Brazil and in neighboring Uruguay. The third
major export country is Madagascar. However, this gemstone is spread all over
the world. Good specimens were found in Aztec graves, though the deposits from
which they were extracted are no longer known today. On the Canadian side of
Lake Superior in North America, there is a place named Amethyst Harbor. The
violet quartz is found there in ample quantities, though rarely in gemstone
quality. The fame of Idar-Oberstein, the German gemstone center, is based on
domestic amethyst finds. In earlier times, raw material was delivered there from
the Zillertal Alps. When these nearby deposits ceased to yield, the old cutters'
tradition was able to be preserved thanks to supplies organized by German
emigrés in South America. Russian amethysts, which were mainly mined in winter
in the Urals, were once famous for their particularly beautiful color, which
shone magnificently even in artificial light. In Tibet there were amethyst
rosaries, for there the gemstone was dedicated to Buddha and was said to promote
clarity of mind. In Sri Lanka, stones which have rolled down on their own are
found in debris.
The South American deposits in particular, which were not discovered until the nineteenth century, brought down the price of the violet gemstone. The amethyst bracelet of Queen Charlotte of England, which was so famous at the beginning of the 18th century, its value being estimated at 2000 pounds sterling at that time, was apparently worth only 100 pounds 200 years later. However, the price has a close relationship with the quality, and the quality varies immensely. Most of the material from Brazil is light-coloured, a tender purple. In Madagascar, it is generally red or violet hues which are found. Uruguay supplies the most beautiful and the deepest color, but it is mostly blemished. Thus immaculate stones of the finest violet still fetch carat prices of well over a hundred euros.