Amethyst Point healing crystal pendant silver - Brazil Start Price USD 0.99 Current Price USD 0.99 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 2.49 Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, September 03, 2008 End Time Wednesday, September 10, 2008 Location Sao Paulo, SP See more about 'Amethyst Point healing crystal pendant silver - Brazil' Description AMETHYST POINT PENDANT - SILVER About Brazilian Minerals Brazil produces the greatest variety of gems and semi-precious stones in the world, including diamonds, emeralds and amethyst.  Some of the most spectacular gems come from the region near the city of Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais. About Amethyst   Amethyst is a violet or purple variety of quartz often used as an ornament. The name is generally said to be derived from the Greek a, "not," and methuskein, "to intoxicate," expressing the old belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness. It was held that wine drank out of a cup of amethyst would not intoxicate. However, the word may probably be a corruption of an Oriental name for the stone. In the 1900s, the color of amethyst was attributed to the presence of manganese. However, since it is capable of being much altered and even discharged by heat, the color was referred by some authorities to an organic source. Ferric thiocyanate was suggested, and sulfur was said to have been detected in the mineral. Today (2005), impurity atoms are known to be responsible of the color of the amethyst. Amethyst is composed of an irregular superposition of alternate lamellae of right-handed and left-handed quartz. It has been shown that this structure may be due to mechanical stresses. In consequence of this composite formation, amethyst is apt to break with a rippled fracture, or to show "thumb markings", and the intersection of two sets of curved ripples may produce on the fractured surface a pattern something like that of "engine turning." Some mineralogists, following Sir David Brewster, apply the name of amethyst to all quartz which exhibits this structure, regardless of color. Amethyst was used as a gemstone by the ancient Egyptians and was largely employed in antiquity for intaglios. Beads of amethyst are found in Anglo-Saxon graves in England. It is a widely distributed mineral, but fine, clear specimens that are suitable for cutting as ornamental stones are confined to comparatively few localities. Such crystals occur either in the cavities of mineral-veins and in granitic rocks, or as a lining in agate geodes. A huge geode, or "amethyst-grotto", from near Santa Cruz in southern Brazil was exhibited at the Düsseldorf Exhibition of 1902. Many of the hollow agates of Brazil and Uruguay contain a crop of amethyst crystals in the interior. Much fine amethyst comes from Russia, especially from near Mursinka in the Ekaterinburg district, where it occurs in drusy cavities in granitic rocks. Many localities in India yield amethyst; and it is found also in Sri Lanka, chiefly as pebbles. Due to its popularity as a gemstone, several descriptive terms have been coined in the gem trade to describe the varying colors of amethyst. "Rose de France" is usually a pale pinkish lavender or lilac shade (usually the least sought color). The most prized color is an intense violet with red flashes and is called "Siberian", although gems of this color may occur from several locations other than Siberia, notably Uruguay and Zambia. In more recent times, certain gems (usually of Bolivian origin) have shown alternating bands of amethyst purple with citrine orange after treatment, and have been given the name "ametrine". Physical Properties: Amethyst is an impressive variety of quartz which naturally occurs in crystal form. These transparent prismatic crystals can be found in clusters as an incrustation (or druse) in a nodular stone, commonly known as a geode. Physically it is much like quartz in it's transparency and luster but amethyst is unique in color. Ranging in shades of purple from pale lavender/lilac to a deep intense purple, amethyst is the most valuable form of quartz. In jewelry, the deepest most dense variations of Amethyst that maintain their transparency are considered the most precious. Physical PropertiesAs mentioned above, Amethyst can vary in shades of purple and although this form of quartz must be purple to be Amethyst, the shades can even include a reddish and milky purple quality. The purple color comes from the existence of manganese in clear quartz. The presence of iron in certain quantities determines the comparative intensity of its color. Because of it's naturally unparalleled color, Amethyst could be very expensive but due to it's wide-spread availability and numerous global deposits, it can be found very inexpensively. Not only can Amethyst range in color but it also ranges in transparency from transparent to almost translucent though always maintaining it's glassy luster. With a specific gravity of 6.5 and hardness of 7 (Mohs' scale), Amethyst is tough to distinguish from it's synthetic imposters. In nature as a mineral, each crystallic cluster differs from region to region. Even different mines can produce different qualities of Amethyst. Depending upon the region and mine of a specimen, a good majority of each individual crystal can be clear or smoky while one end contains all the color. True gem experts can come pretty close to identifying the region from which a particular specimen originated from the density of it's color, the cleavage, shape, crystal system and other physical characteristics which imply it's original context.   Chemical PropertiesThe chemical name for Amethyst, Silicon Dioxide (SiO2), along with distinctive attributes relating to it's color are representative of its chemical composition. As mentioned through it's physical properties, Amethyst obtains it's color through a combination of manganese impurities (Mn) and the existence of iron (Fe) in specific quantities. The color of each crystal is dependant upon the distribution of color-filled bands within it. These color bands are stable only at temperatures below 480 degrees Fahrenheit (248.9 degrees Celsius) so this semi-precious stone should be protected from extreme heat in order to prevent fading. Professional heating treatments (on the other hand) have been used on Amethyst to produce the popular gems known as Citrine and Ametrine (400 and 500 degrees Celsius). Many of the naturally occurring Citrines began as Amethyst and were created by being heated by exposure to lava and magma from nearby volcanoes and other magma containing bodies. Ametrine has become a popular semi-precious gem which is a product of being half Amethyst and half Citrine. Other Characteristics of Amethyst Index of refraction:     1.5-1.6 Birefringence:  0.01 Mohs' Scale Hardness:  7 Fracture:  Conchoidal Specific Gravity:  6.5 Crystal System:  Tetrahedral    Metaphysical Properties: Amethyst is the birthstone associated with February.  It is also associated with the constellations of Pisces, Aries (especially the violet and purple variety), Aquarius, and Sagittarius.  It is a symbol of heavenly understanding, and of the pioneer in thought and action of the philosophical, religious, sporitual and material planes. Linked with Saint Valentine, tradition maintains that amethyst assists those who wear it in maintain their faithfulness, causing peace and calmness of mind. It was often carried by soldiers on the shafts of spears and on swords as a charm against death, being thought to bring calmness and victory in battle. It is useful for the revelation of prophetic truth. It is said to strengthen wisdom, faith, and religion, and is an aid in prayer and in dreaming. It is also said to be a charm against witchcraft, poison (it warns of the presence of poison by dimming), and evil thoughts; it is an aid to chastity, a power against all forms of overindulgence, and a strengthener of the mind. It is used as a charm for securing the favor of princes, rulers, churchmen, people of wealth, influence and power, people with prophetic ability, poets, travellers, publishers, and others. Ranking members of the Catholic Church traditionally wear rings set with a large amethyst as part of their office. Bound to the left wrist, the amethyst is said to enable the wearer to see the future in dreams. It represses evil thoughts and actions, gives a keen business sense, and warns of ill health. The amethyst attracts love and good luck, and helps to prevent drunkenness. When engraved with the names of the sun and the moon, it is said to protect against sorcery. A winged horse cut on an amethyst is a protective talisman for horses and their riders. Immerse an amethyst in hot water, take it out, dry it carefully, and apply it to headache or toothache. To dream of amethyst indicates success to a traveller, clergyman, sailor, philosopher, teacher, or mystic; also protection, faith, and fruitful thoughts.   Item Details Type: Amethyst Size: The point is polished and measures between 25-30mm (1-1.25 inch) in length from end to end - remember, this is a natural mineral, so sizes vary slightly since no two pieces are the same and we have several samples of this same item.  We do select each one of them individually to assure its quality. Description: Crystal is set on a silver plated fixture that allows for it to be worn as a pendant or with a necklace.    If you are looking for a chain to accompany this piece or other similar items, visit our store. Store, Payment & Shipping Details About Our Store In our store you will find a broad range of products from Brazil. We specialize primarily in beach fashion and carry several top bikini brands from Brazil, in many styles that are often hard to find outside Brazil. We also sell one-piece swimsuits, sarongs, athletic wear, bags and intimate wear.  Visit our store to see our full range of products.     Be sure to add me to your favorites list! Payment Details We prefer PayPal for all payments due to its convenience for both the buyer as well as the seller. PayPal is a secure payment service owned by eBay and accepts payments with all major credit cards and echecks. It is not necessary to open a PayPal account to make a payment. If you have any questions on how to use PayPal, feel free to contact us and we will try to help out. Please note that all echeck payments must be cleared by your banking institution (usually takes 3-4 days) before we mail out the item. We are located in Brazil, which means that personal checks are not accepted by local banking institutions. Please do not send us cash - the postal service is fairly reliable here in Brazil, but we will not be responsible if payments go missing in the mail. Please bid only if you are planning to pay.  Although we are in principle against giving negative feedback, we will file an unpaid item dispute with eBay for items that are not paid within 14 days (this will result in a warning from eBay's administration and may lead to expulsion from the eBay community).  If you encounter any problems, contact us and we will gladly try to work-out a solution with you. Shipping & Handling We send all items through regular priority mail. We usually mail items every Tuesday and Friday after payment has been received, so we ask our customers to plan their payments accordingly. Delivery to most locations takes an average of two weeks from the mailing date (although we ask to allow for up to three weeks since we have found out that it is not an exact science).  Please note that priority mail in Brazil does not offer tracking services. We do offer shipping discounts for multiple item purchases.  Please refer to each listing for details.  Contact us for shipping rates if you are interested in large volumes. The local post office does offer express mail services, which take up to a week for delivery, depending on the location. Contact us for rates. Insurance is recommended.   Check out my other items! Powered by eBay Turbo Lister Place a Bid!