Monday, February 7, 2011

february birthstone: amethyst

primarily mined in Brazil, amethyst is a member of the quartz family. this popular gemstone comes in both purple and green. the word "amethyst" comes from the Greek work "amethystos", meaning "not drunken". the Greeks believed amethyst prevented intoxication and associated the gemstone with Bacchus, the god of wine because of its wine-purple color.