The February birthstone is the amethyst. It belongs to the quartz family of gemstones and is a macrocrystalline, like citrine and rose quartz, which means it forms as large crystals. Amethyst are a lovely purple colour, ranging from a pale pink mauve to a deep purple. They can often show banding or zoning,

Antique amethyst ring with a diamond surrround

Amethysts have a long history as a gemstone, worn by Greeks, Egyptians and Romans. The Greeks believed that amethysts could prevent drunkenness and Anglican Bishops often wore rings set with amethysts, acknowledging the biblical reference to the apostles being sober at Pentecost. They were used a lot for seals and intaglios. The swivel fob seal below is vintage.

Amethyst swivel fob with intaglio

The amethyst above is quite a pale purple but the stone below in the seed pearl brooch has a good depth of colour.

19th century seed pearl and amethyst brooch

The necklace below is Edwardian, in the negligee style, with the two bottom amethyst lightly wrapped in gold wire. Again, the color of the stones is quite a pale purple.

Edwardian negligee 14ct amethyst necklace

The amethyst is a favourite of mine, as it is able to combine with other gems, pearls in particular, but it is just as attractive on its own.