Amethyst

Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry. The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἀ a- ("not") and μέθυστος méthystos ("intoxicated"), a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness. The ancient Greeks wore amethyst and made drinking vessels decorated with it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication. It is one of several forms of quartz. Amethyst is a semiprecious stone and is the traditional birthstone for February.

Structure

Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (SiO₂) and owes its violet color to irradiation, iron impurities (in some cases in conjunction with transition element impurities), and the presence of trace elements, which result in complex crystal lattice substitutions. The hardness of the mineral is the same as quartz, thus it is suitable for use in jewelry.

Hue and tone

Amethyst occurs in primary hues from a light pinkish violet to a deep purple. Amethyst may exhibit one or both secondary hues, red and blue. The best varieties of amethyst can be found in Siberia, Sri Lanka, Brazil and the far East. The ideal grade is called "Deep Siberian" and has a primary purple hue of around 75–80%, with 15–20% blue and (depending on the light source) red secondary hues. Green quartz is sometimes incorrectly called green amethyst, which is a misnomer and not an appropriate name for the material, the proper terminology being prasiolite. Other names for green quartz are vermarine or lime citrine.

Amethyst (Phase song)

"Amethyst" is a song by the post punk band Phase. It was released as a single on August 1st 2013 forerunning their 2014 album the Wait where it featured under a different mix.

Title

Amethyst means sober but it's literal sense of the adjective describes someone that can't be intoxicated; from the Greek αμέθυστος (amethystos). The word's conception stems from a greek myth in which the god of ebriety and excess, Dionysus, wanted to ravish a young virgin and goddess Artemis in an attempt to save the innocent girl crystallized her, while the wine drops from Dionysus' cup mixed with his tears, gave the crystal its purple-ish colour.

Reception

Amethyst has gathered rave reviews from press and it established Phase in the area that they decided to relocate to.

The song was hyping the first week it was released on last.fm charts Greece a short after they switched their home base to UK.

Artwork

The cover for Amethyst was designed by the Iranian artist Afsoon Shahriari responsible also for the song's lyric video, the upload of which coincided with the song's release.

USS Amethyst (PYc-3)

USS Amethyst (PYc-3), formerly named Samona II, was a yacht in the United States Navy and served as a patrol boat during World War II.

Amethyst was built in 1931 by Craig Shipbuilding Company, Long Beach, California; purchased by the Navy on 4 November 1940 from the estate of Willitts J. Hole, a prominent financier of Los Angeles, California; converted for naval service by Craig Shipbuilding; and commissioned on 27 February 1941, Lt. H. Reich in command.

Service history

The ship was assigned to the Inshore Patrol, 11th Naval District, and helped to patrol the entrance to Los Angeles harbor. After the United States entered the war, the yacht expanded her role to include escorting vessels and convoys as well as carrying local passenger traffic.

On 1 April 1943, Amethyst was attached to the Surface Task Group, Southern Section, San Pedro, California, and continued her patrol duties off the southern California coast through January 1944. She was decommissioned on 2 February 1944.