Amethyst

Amethyst is the most coveted member of the quartz family. It can be found in various shades - from a deep royal purple with hints of red, to a pale pastel lilac with subtle undertones of blue The amethyst owes its colour to trace amounts of manganese and iron. Its purple colour made it a stone of royalty since early times. It was a favourite gem for Catherine the Great and considered sacred to Buddha in Tibet, where rosaries are often fashioned from it. Amethyst is the birthstone for February and is also the symbolic gem for the Seventeenth wedding anniversary.