

By definition, amethyst is a purple form of quartz. Green amethyst is actually an imprecise name that some of us use to refer to prasiolite. If someone drank from a goblet or an amethyst cup, he would not become drunk at all.Īccording to Greek mythology, amethyst refers to a crystal-dyed purple rock formed by the tears of Dionysus, the deity of wine and gaiety. In ancient times, it was believed that this stone could prevent the holder from becoming too drunk and could also result in a sober mind. Thus, it is believed that amethyst tends to ward off drunkenness. As per the Greek and Biblical mythologies, amethyst means ‘not drunken’. Indeed, many semi-precious stones are nothing but forms of quartz, such as carnelian, citrine, rose quartz, and smokey quartz.Īmethyst also comes from ‘amethystos’, a Greek word mentioned even in the New Testament. Prasiolite or green quartz just does not possess the ring similar to green amethyst. This is because quartz is available in plenty on the planet.

Second, several people believe an amethyst to be one of the finest semi-precious gems but do not consider quartz as very special. Prasiolite is actually a name given to green heat-treated quartz. This connection seems to allow using the misnomer. First, green quartz is produced by giving heat treatment to a few varieties of quartz, which is usually an amethyst. Presumably, there could be two reasons why many of us do not refer to it as green quartz. It is exactly what this semi-precious stone means. It seems a bit silly but a green amethyst is actually green-purple rather than green quartz. However, a few stones are known by their color. Generally, gemstones are known by the name of their contained mineral, such as emerald and diamond. Amethyst by itself is nothing but purple quartz.
