Birthstone Meanings

How and when was Amethyst discovered?

Hi. I'm doing a report on Amethyst and I can't find this information anywhere! Please help?

Public Comments

1. It is a birthstone...
2. That's quite probably lost to antiquity. Amethyst is the name of a nymph in a Greek myth (it's the usual satyr chases girl, girl cries to the gods for help, god turns girl into tree/stone/animal story) who is turned into the gemstone and becomes sacred to Dionysus. Amethyst is also mentioned in the bible. So it was discovered so long ago, the how and when are no longer known. You don't need to know how or when it was discovered for your report. Focus on other aspects of the stone.
3. Almost certainly prehistoric - that is, before anyone wrote things down. Most naturally occurring minerals were discovered prehistorically. I think you can easily imagine a "cave man" walking along a riverbed or some such geological formation and discovering an amethyst there. Naturally, all of his buddies would be there the next day looking for more. No one bothered to paint a cave painting that read "Og found purple rock today. Yay, Og." Jim