Amethyst Amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek ἀμέθυστος "amethystos" from ἀ- "a-", "not" and μεθύσκω "methysko" / μεθύω "methyo", "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness. The ancient Greeks wore amethyst and carved drinking vessels from it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication. Amethyst is a semiprecious stone often used in jewelry and is the traditional birthstone for February. Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (SiO) and owes its violet color to irradiation, iron impurities (in some cases in conjunction with transition
HMS Amethyst (1903) tow on her way to the breaker's at Milford Haven, the tow parted in a gale and heavy seas and the New Quay lifeboat took off seven of "Amethyst"'s eight crew; the captain was taken off two days later in the continuing storm by Aberystwyth lifeboat. HMS Amethyst (1903) HMS "Amethyst" was a third-class protected cruiser of the "Topaze" class of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1903, served during World War I at the Dardanelles and Gallipoli, in the Mediterranean and the South Atlantic. She was sold for scrap in 1920. She was laid down in January 1903