A little amythist for your Monday evening.

Amythist is a well know mineral as well as a widely used gemstone. It is also the birthstone of people born in February. Up until the 18th century, amethyst was included in the cardinal, or most valuable, gemstones (along with diamond, sapphire, ruby, and emerald). However, since the discovery of extensive deposits in locations such as Brazil, it has lost most of its value.

Amythist is the purple variety of the mineral quartz and it is found in abundance from the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil where it occurs in large geodes within volcanic rocks.

I wonder if @ronaldoavelino is familiar with this area?

The crystals are wonderful but I also love the back of rock that contains the amythist.

I also love the layering between the quartz and the outer shell.

Amethyst was used as a gemstone by the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Greeks believed amethyst gems could prevent intoxication. Also in medieval Europe soldiers wore amethyst amulets as protection in battle in the belief that amethysts heal people and keep them cool-headed.

This is a mineral I would love to hunt for, and I see it can be found in Arizona so I've got some plans next time I go visit my folks. The amythist in these pictures was given to me by a dear friend and fellow rock hound and I really cherish it

Thanks for stopping by on this #mineralmonday, see you next week.