Amethyst is Royal

The Amethyst is the beautiful purple birthstone for the month of February. It is a symbol of royalty, which was assigned after purple was designated as a color for royalty. A common tale is that it symbolizes celibacy and piety. According to Leonardo Da Vinci, the amethyst is supposed to remove evil thoughts from our minds and make us learn and comprehend faster. This was his theory, which is purely a speculative myth.

There is a great legend about the origin of the amethyst that leads back to Greek mythology. Diana turned Amethyst, who was a beautiful woman, into a statue made solely of crystalline quartz. She did this to protect herself from fierce tigers. The beauty of the statue of Amethyst brought the angered Bacchus to tears. It is said that he wept tears of wine. The once pure statue turned to a purple hue after being stained by the Greek God's tears.


After this legend of origin stuck, the amethyst was said to have an intoxicating effect on those that wore it. It is also said to empower those born in the month of February with strength, intelligence and a feeling of royalty. The amethyst is a prized gem with multiple symbolic meanings. Royals use it in crowned jewels and in other aspects of their homes simply out of the legendary beliefs from the Greek Gods.

 A fun fact is that the word amethyst means sober. This is backwards of the legend where Bacchus was inebriated from drinking wine. After he shed his tears of wine, his sobriety was restored. With the encouragement of bravery and calming properties, the amethyst is a charm of luck and endearment. It is also said to help in moments of deep contemplation. Not only is it beautiful, the lore behind the stone itself is uplifting and encouraging.


Amethyst is such a rich, royal color, and it comes in so many different sultry shades. We made a treasury of some of our favorite jewelry made with Amethyst! 


 Comments? We LOVE them! Click the comment link right down there ☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟

Artisan Beads, straight from the Philippines

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of "e-meeting" a wonderful couple from the Philippines, in a city called Cebu. He shared with me the details of their family business, established in 1985, and I was truly intrigued. 

These beautiful artisan made beads begin with a vision, as with any piece of art. Oscar and his wife dream up and draw out the designs, and then the skilled artisans work their magic to bring them to life, one little detail at a time. 

Each bead starts it journey from a raw wood log, and is then cut down, shaped, sanded, and waxed before being buffed out by hand. Now the magic happens.......a hole is made and the shell is hand set in place. As you could imagine, this is a very tedious process and takes the skills, and patience, of a true artisan.

Aside from the glorious quality of the Ebony wood and the Paua, Abalone, and Makabibi shell, what I loved the most is that these beads are true artisan made beads, and help support their other community members by providing jobs. As a fellow artisan myself, I'm really happy to have the chance to help support Oscar, his family, and their community!

Comments? We LOVE them! Click the comment link right down there ☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟

I can fly

JUST IN: Fresh carved wing pairs in Agate, Amethyst, Crystal Quartz, Fluorite, Opalite, Rose Quartz, Sodalite & Tigers Eye. Delicious!

Envisioning a pair of earrings with long thin purple feathers with a pair of the Fluorite wings hanging from oxidized sterling or copper wires.

How about you? Leave us a comment on how you fly. xo The Gem Gals

Comments? We LOVE them! Click the comment link right down there ☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟