The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-04-18
THE ROMANCE OF
THE AMETHYST

comparatively cotiiiio"' "oAe ""
a century ago it reached its zenith,
in value and popularity. At that
time an English princess possessed
a magnifieentl necklace Of almost
perfect stones which cost two thou
sand guineas or a little more than
ten thousand dollars. Today this
royal piece could be duplicated by
the expenditure Of approximately
a tenth of the original amount.
Scientists define the amethyst as g.
clear purple or blush violet variety
of crystalized quartz. In hardness
it ranks below the diamond in the
proportion of nine to TEN Though
it resist acids it can be cut with a
file and its color can be dulled by the
application of heat. The stone ap-
parently tries to hide from the eyes
of man; for if it does not lie within
| the covers of a bed of granite, it
will have as it's cloister a hollow
rock ball technically known as a
geode.
The word, amethyst, is of Greek
derivation. Literally it mea with
out drunkenness" The '%ancients,
frequent users of the wine cup, pre-
ferred cups made from the stone, as
they not only believed in its insur-
ance against id~toxication, but also
in its power to render inactive any
poison it might chance to hold. The
gem thus bestowed tranquility of
mind upon its owner, for in that age
the visitation of death through the
agency of Observation-Disclosures
drugs was not an uncommon occur
renee.
Aristotle, the philosopher thought
that the amethyst would climber the
ascension Of. vapors." Baccio, an
Italian painter, testified to it's eff
cacy as a resistent of poisons, and
further asserted that the jewel sharp
ened the wits but breeded sleepless-
ness.
The pious crusaders who fought
to gain the Holy Land for Christen-
dom wore amethyst to preserve them
from harm. The people of that peri
cd considered the gem a symbol Of
pure love or sincerity, employed it
to express mourning, and also wore
it when bearing petitions to the
%overlords. They also believed it
capable of preventing the descent
of hailstones and locusts.
The Bible contains reference to
this precious stone. According to
Revelations" the foundations of
the walls of New Jerusalem were
exquisitely adorned; the first course
was jasper, and the twelfth showed
the violet of the beautiful amethyst.
On the high priests breast-plate the
gem held the third position in the
third row.
Edward, the Confessor, highly
priced a ring set with an amethyst
of the finest quality. This precious
stone now adorns the British Crown.
Its legendary lore clings to it's still
for it bears a reputed value as a pro-
tector against contagious diseases.
Cleopatra, the scheming ]sorceress
of the Nile, admired the purple bril-
liant. She had a signet ring of the
stone, engraved with a Persiah SYM
Dol of divinity and light and life. An
tipater, the poet, pronounced "the
engraving truly of a skillful hand"
Probably the best bit of p~otraiture
done on any jewel is that of the
head of Mithradates, the ancient
king of Pontus. This deep violet
image was discovered many years
ago in India.
The largest sculptured or carved
work with an amethyst as the medi-
UNI consist of the bust of Trajan, the
Roman emperor. This adjournment,
formerly in the possession of the
Prussian court, mysteriously disap-
peared when Napoleon occupied the
city of Berlin. Historians allege
that some Of his generals had taking
ways. The work of art has been lost
to the world since the time of this
invasion by "The Little Corporal"
The favorite gem of the Ameri-