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 (F116) took place in the North Atlantic, south of Waterford and resulted in the loss of all 49 of the U-boat's crew. During the war the "Amethyst" was credited, along with the sloops , , , and frigate , with sinking the in the North Channel on 16 January 1945. The British Admiralty withdrew this credit in a post-war reassessment. On 20 April 1949, "Amethyst" was on her way from Shanghai to Nanking (now Nanjing) when she was fired upon by the People's Liberation Army, thus starting the Amethyst Incident. "Amethyst" was trapped in China until 30 July 1949 when she