The 'cardinal gem' that cures drunkenness and wards off locusts — and was once as prized as diamonds
Not even a price drop in the 19th century could take the shine off the charms of the amethyst, which has captivated Pharaohs, bishops and royalty for 5,000 years.
The base hue should be a deep, saturated reddish purple. Not blue purple, not lilac, not violet. What separates a fine amethyst from a good amethyst, however, is not the body colour, but the flashes — the secondary play of colour that appears when the stone is moved. As the gem is turned, the dominant purple should resolve into discrete glimpses of crimson and sapphire blue. Under candlelight, it should warm and redden.
Little wonder that this exquisite, subtle, complex gemstone has been beloved of royalty ever since it was first discovered in Egypt more than 5,000 years ago. Indeed, amethyst is to be found everywhere from Tutankhamen’s tomb to Russia’s Imperial Treasury, not to mention in our own Crown jewels: St Edward’s Crown, the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross and the Sovereign’s Orb all feature amethysts.
In medieval times, it was so prized that it was considered what later became known as one of the five cardinal gems, together with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies. Today, it is favoured by many of the great jewellery houses: Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co., Pomellato, Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels… actually, it would be quicker to list the jewellers that don’t love amethyst.
Yet the gem’s enduring popularity belies a complicated history. Its story really starts with Mentuhotep IV, the last pharaoh of the Eleventh Dynasty, who, in about 1995BC, established an amethyst mine at Wadi el-Hudi, in one of the most arid and inhospitable — I can vouch for this because I’ve been there — parts of the Eastern Desert.
This mine, and one established in another part of the Sahara about 2,000 years later, produced pretty much the world’s entire supply of amethyst until a deposit was identified in Idar-Oberstein in Germany towards the end of the 14th century. Even then, its rarity and beauty assured its position as one of (if not) the most expensive and highly valued gems of all time.
The word ‘amethyst’ derives from the Greek amethystos — literally, ‘that which does not inebriate’, and in addition to preventing drunkenness it was credited, according to Pliny, with all sorts of other powers, including warding off locusts. Marbodus (whose De Lapidibus was the most copied lapidary text of the Middle Ages) went further and said that it repelled evil thoughts, made the wearer vigilant in business, protected against poison and ensured victory in battle.
Possibly because the Book of Exodus lists amethyst among the 12 stones set in the breastplate of the High Priest Aaron or because purple is the colour of penitence, from at least the 13th century onwards, it became the ‘bishop’s stone’ and was used in episcopal rings. Indeed, when Bishop Thomas Bek of St David’s, Wales, died in 1293, he insisted on being buried with his amethyst ring.
Catherine the Great was also obsessed with amethysts. After seizing power from her husband in 1762, she gave permission to two Italian lapidarists to search for the gem in the Urals. Not only were they successful — mining began in 1868 — but the quality was like nothing seen before. Indeed, ever since, the finest amethysts have been described (erroneously — the gem dealers of the day obviously weren’t that strong on geography) as ‘Siberian’. Most of Catherine’s jewellery is in the Kremlin Armoury, although Christie’s sold a pair of her spectacular amethyst and diamond girandole earrings in 2007 for about £185,000 — a bargain, in my opinion.
Catherine lived long enough to enjoy the fruits of her patronage, but died 28 years before the dramatic amethyst events of 1825. An anonymous German immigrant to Brazil, who knew the Idar-Oberstein mines, stumbled across what proved to be a massive deposit of amethyst, sparking a sort of amethyst rush. Immigrants from the same part of Germany began to ship the rough back home for cutting — and the price tumbled. In a very short period, amethyst became a semi-precious rather than a precious gemstone.
Elizabeth II wearing a necklace and brooch of amethyst jewels which originally belonged to Queen Victoria's mother.
Since then, it’s transpired that amethyst is not rare at all: the Brazil mines are still producing and there are impressive deposits in Uruguay, Zambia, Madagascar and Morocco (which rivals the finest Siberian material). It is a fantastic case study of the relationship between the beauty of an object, its rarity and its market value.
I think it says everything about the British monarchy that their enthusiasm for amethyst was not affected by its drop in price. The Kent Amethysts — a parure of necklace, three brooches, earrings and hair combs — (which belonged to Queen Victoria) were frequently worn by Elizabeth II, who commissioned her own pair of floral amethyst brooches. Queen Camilla often wears amethyst, as does Princess Michael of Kent, as does The Princess of Wales. ‘A thing of beauty,’ as Keats pointed out, ‘is a joy for ever.'
This feature originally appeared in the June 17, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.
