Two Large One Carat Dark Royal Purple Antique Genuine Natural Amethyst Ovals.

CLASSIFICATION: Royal Amethyst Cabochon Ovals.

ORIGIN: Coastal Devonian Lava Beds, Angus, Scotland. 19th Century.

SIZE: Length: 7mm. Width: 5mm. Depth: 4mm. All measurements approximate.

WEIGHT: 2.47 carats.

NOTES: Upon request we can set your gemstone as a ring, earring, or pendant.

DETAIL: Most ancient Mediterranean cultures believed that amethyst would protect against becoming intoxicated, and would protect soldiers from harm in battle. Two large, very colorful 18th century handcrafted dark royal purple amethyst ovals from the Devonian lava beds found along the coast of Angus Country, Scotland. Very popular in 18th and 19th century Victorian Scotland, amethyst has remained a very popular gemstone through the 20th century. Gorgeous, vibrant, and richly hued, these striking gemstones possess breathtaking luster and delicate hue. These unusual gemstones were hand shaped and polished into these beautiful oval cut cabochons by an 18th century Russian artisan. They are fascinating gemstones, much nicer in appearance than the images here would suggest. They are nice quality amethysts by 18th century standards. The gemstones are more or less transparent, though as one can easily discern, by no means flawless. By today's standards they are not high quality amethyst - though of course they are generous in size, remarkable in color, and historically significant. But judged by 18th century standards, these were nice, large, sumptuous, and not inexpensive gemstones. In many European countries the rich purple color of dark amethyst was associated with royalty - and was very popular with all of the royal families in Renaissance and Victorian Europe.

Two gemstones are matched, though like snowflakes each is unique. Although here in these 500% photo enlargements they might appear to be quite different from one another, to the unaided eye at normal magnification they match quite pleasingly. The gemstones have great lustre, but they are not flawless, and could not meet the contemporary criteria necessary to be even characterized as high quality. True, the blemishes they possess are not as apparent in hand as they are in these photo enlargements. Magnified several times over, as they are here, you can see many imperfections (included material) both within the gemstones and irregularities in the finish. But these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, you must also consider that three centuries ago the mining techniques prevalent did not allow the ultra deep mining operations which are so common today.

Three centuries ago mankind was more or less limited to surface deposits or near surface deposits of precious and semi-precious gemstones. Higher quality gemstones which today are routinely mined from beneath hundreds of meters, even kilometers beneath the earth's surface, were simply inaccessible. So antique gemstones must be appreciated as antiques first, gemstones second. The relatively superlative quality of contemporary gemstones mined from deep beneath the earth's surface were simply not accessible three centuries ago, or at least, only rarely so. But for most, the unique nature and character of these antique gemstones more than makes up for included imperfections and irregular finishing which by and large are not so terribly obvious as they are in these photo enlargements.

HISTORY: Amethyst was one of the first gemstones used by man. The name is derived from the Greek term "amethustos", meaning not drunk. Amethyst came to Greece from Egypt just after the death of Alexander the Great. Most ancient Mediterranean cultures believed that amethyst would protect against becoming intoxicated, and would protect soldiers from harm in battle. Throughout ancient and medieval history, the color purple was traditionally the color of royalty. Consequentially Amethyst has been used since the dawn of recorded history to adorn the wealthy, as well as royalty, and was extensively used since ancient times for carving intaglio gemstones and seals. Amethyst is also mentioned in the Bible (Exodus 28:19; 39:12) as one of the 12 stones adorning the breastplate (hoshen) of the high priests of Yahweh.

Amethyst is the most highly valued variety of quartz. The purple coloring is caused by the presence of compounds of iron or manganese. Aside from the gorgeous color, Amethyst is also very popular in the production of jewelry due to the fact it is very hard and durable. Some of the other popular varieties of quartz include rock crystal (colorless quartz), citrine (yellow quartz), and aventurine (green quartz). Amethyst, like all quartz crystals, produces an electric voltage, a property known as piezoelectric. Unable to understand the characteristic, ancient cultures attributed many mystical properties have been attributed to the various varieties of quartz gemstones. Quartz gemstones were believed to act as psychic purifiers, tuning one into their inner "vibrations". It was believed that quartz possessed the ability to amplify emotions, enhance concentration and intuition, and neutralize "negative energies".

SHIPPING OPTIONS: All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price. Most of these antique gemstones were originally part of two collections, one originating in India principally composed of gemstones originally mined in India, Burma, Ceylon, and Siam, and then hand faceted in India. The addition of a second accumulation of antique gemstones originally mined in the Urals in the mid to late 19th century (including alexandrite) completed the collection. These gemstones as well were hand finished. The Urals have been one of the world's major sources of precious and semi-precious gemstones for many centuries. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers in Eastern Europe and Asia. These antique gemstones are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery.

We ship inventory from the USA order fulfillment center near Seattle, Washington. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipping within 48 hours of payment. A certificate of authenticity is available upon request. We prefer your personal check or money order over any other form of payment - and we will ship immediately upon receipt of your check (no "holds"). We will accept PayPal payments. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE".