This rich purple gemstone has been revered for centuries. it is considered the color of royalty. However, there are fascinating facts about this gem that you might not know!

How did amethyst get it’s name and where DOES the purple color come from?

It’s name comes from the Greek amethustos meaning ‘not drunk’. it was believed that if you drink from

a vessel made from amethyst or wore amethyst you were immune to drunkeness.

This quartz gem gets it’s color from iron. The more iron.. the darker the color.

Does it like the sun?

Amethyst does NOT like intense sunlight for long periods of time. For instance, If you plan to swim or get a suntan, leave the amethyst at home. This gem fades and turns yellowish in prolonged sunlight. Disreputable sellers will heat irradiate amethyst and sell it as citrine.

How large are amethyst geodes

A geode is as small as shown in the ring image above. BUT it also can be VERY VERY large. the largest amethyst geode found weighs 28,660 pounds. It is 9 ft 10″ long, 5 ft 10″ wide and 7 ft 2″ high. Currently is on display in the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Natural History in Shandong, China.

Is amethyst a durable gem?

Yes, amethyst is 7.5 hardness on the Mohs scale. As a result amethyst is one of the harder gems and quite durable. It can be worn in rings as well as cuffs, earrings or pendants. Keep in mind though that the amethyst geode consists of tiny crystals that break off easily. Moreover the geode, if worn in a ring or cuff, must be well protected with a bezel surrounding it.

“Amethyst dissipates evil thoughts and quickens the intelligence” Leonardo Da Vinci

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The post Do you know this about amethyst! appeared first on Alene's Adornments Blog.

Today I spent about 2 hours going over some of the new gems I purchased; deciding which ones I wanted to work with first and which ones could wait for later. I get into the zone with this process. I listen to classical music. It calms me and helps the creativity flow. Basically I choose the ones that inspire me the most. I know that down the road I may choose other options but for now these gems made the cut!

Then I spread out the gems and start making some choices. Here you can see the gems that I chose for this first group.

Amethyst is my first love so it is always included with any new grouping. Here I have a couple of the amethyst geodes that will become rings and pendants. Moving forward, I purchased some rose quartz for the first time. (the light pink gems at bottom center) These will be earrings, a pendant and a ring. I am still enamored with Rainbow solar quartz so of course there are two gems in this grouping. Both will be pendants. My most exciting NEW discovery is Palmwood root. These gorgeous black and creme colored gems spoke to me. I HAD to buy them and create new designs. They are shown here in the upper left corner.

So stay tuned to see what I create using these new beauties. The next steps include creating the bezels for the gems and then determining what the finished designs will be. This process can take weeks.

Just in case you wondered which gems did NOT make the cut (and will be featured in the next grouping). Here’s a photo to drool over!

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The post taking the first step in the design process appeared first on Alene's Adornments Blog.

This vibrant color makes us feel luxurious and rich! Purple combines the energy of red and the calmness of blue. It is furthermore associated with spirituality and the higher self. Purple’s elite status stems from the rarity and cost of the dye originally used to produce it.

Historically purple is considered the color of royalty. Purple was expensive and as a result only the wealthiest people could afford purple garments. In fact, Queen Elizabeth the First had forbid anyone except close members of the royal family to wear it. To get one ounce of purple fabric, the mucus from 336,000 spiney dye-murex snails had to be harvested.

I love working with amethyst. Yes it happens to be purple. More than that though, it speaks to me somehow. It always has. Even before I became an old woman

My Amethyst collection is called BURIED TREASURE. Take time to explore all the designs I have created!

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Cuff Bracelets are one of the first designs I created. Yes of course there were the earrings and necklaces.. but when I discovered how to start designing cuffs I was hooked. It seems simple doesn’t it? just take a piece of metal and shape it to fit a wrist.

Wrong! So much detail work and creativity goes into the design process. The variables are endless. Search cuff bracelets on Pinterest for example and see how many different styles you can find.

Personally I love working with copper and silver. Gemstones evolved naturally somewhere along the line. I want your wrist to SING when you wear one of my cuffs!

The gemstones I use are hand picked. No two are the same shape or size. This means YOUR cuff is one of a kind. Relax knowing you have a unique, classic design that will stand the test of time.

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Yes I love Arizona almost as much as I love to design jewelry. I moved to this awe inspiring state almost 30 years ago. I haven’t regretted it for even one moment. Yes we have the scorching hot weather in the summer. Yet the trade off is NO MORE SNOW AND ICE! Plus if I decide to escape the heat, we are only 3 hours from Flagstaff (which does get snow in the winter) and only an hour by plane to San Diego.

I am showing off two of my Gallery designs along with some backyard decor that I love. A cholla cactus skeleton nestled below a Texas Olive tree.

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