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Piezoelectric. Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος amethystos from α-a-, "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) methysko / μεθώmetho (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness. [ 1 ]
An amethyst stone from South Africa. Amethyste or Amethystos (Ancient Greek: Ἀμέθυστη, romanized: Améthustē, lit. 'non-drunk') is supposedly a nymph in Greek mythology who was turned into a precious stone by the goddess Diana/Artemis in order to avoid a worse fate at the hands of the god Dionysus, thus explaining the origin of the semi-precious stone amethyst.
The term porphyry is from the Ancient Greek πορφύρα (porphyra), meaning "purple". Purple was the colour of royalty, and the Roman "imperial porphyry" was a deep purple igneous rock with large crystals of plagioclase. Some authors claimed the rock was the hardest known in antiquity. [3]
A mixture of other minerals, often including pyrite. Lapis lazuli (UK: / ˌlæpɪs ˈlæz (j) ʊli, ˈlæʒʊ -, - ˌli /; US: / ˈlæz (j) əli, ˈlæʒə -, - ˌli /), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color.
The Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in a 945 carved ivory. Traditionally, born in the purple[ 1 ] (sometimes "born to the purple") was a category of members of royal families born during the reign of their parent. This notion was later loosely expanded to include all children born of prominent or high-ranking parents. [ 2 ]
Philosopher's stone. The Alchymist, in Search of the Philosopher's Stone by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1771. The philosopher's stone[a] is a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold or silver [b]; it was also known as "the tincture" and "the powder". Alchemists additionally believed that it could be used ...
Porphyry (geology), an igneous rock with large crystals in a fine-grained matrix, often purple, and prestigious Roman sculpture material. Shoksha porphyry, quartzite of purple color resembling true porphyry mined near the village of Shoksha, Karelia, Russia. Porphyritic, the general igneous texture of a rock with two distinct crystal ...
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Helios (/ ˈhiːliəs, - ɒs /; Ancient Greek: Ἥλιος pronounced [hɛ̌ːlios], lit. 'Sun'; Homeric Greek: Ἠέλιος) is the god who personifies the Sun. His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") and Phaethon ("the shining").