Amethyst of synthetic quartz is used. Treated amethyst is produced by gamma ray, X-ray or electron beam irradiation of clear quartz (rock crystal) which has been first doped with ferric impurities. On exposure to heat, the irradiation effects can be partially cancelled and amethyst generally becomes yellow or even green, and much of the citrine, cairngorm, or yellow quartz of jewelry is said to be merely "burnt amethyst". The Greek word "amethystos" may be translated as "not drunken", from Greek "a-", "not" + "methustos", "intoxicated". Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness, which is why wine goblets were
Amethyst Incident Amethyst Incident The "Amethyst" Incident, also known as the Yangtze Incident, was a historic event which involved the Royal Navy ship HMS "Amethyst" on the Yangtze River for three months during the Chinese Civil War in the summer of 1949. On 20 April 1949, HMS "Amethyst", commanded by Lieutenant Commander Bernard Skinner, was on her way from Shanghai to Nanking to replace , which was standing as guard ship for the British Embassy there during the Chinese Civil War between the nationalist Kuomintang led Republic of China and the Communist Party led People's Republic of China. According to the Royal