The 10mm natural dark amethyst is mounted in a gold filled
snapset and wrapped in 14K gold filled and sterling silver wire. The unusual double
heart shaped frame makes the pendant light weight. The finished pendant is about 2 1/2"
high by 1 5/8" wide.

A large number of miraculous powers are attributed to the amethyst in all sorts of cultures.
It was said to protect crops against tempests and locusts, bring good fortune in war and in
the hunt, drive out evil spirits and inspire the intellect. A little study of the works of
Pliny will reveal that this gemstone, if worn round the neck on a cord made from dog's hair,
affords protection against snakebite. Later, Hieronymus even reported that eagles placed an
amethyst in their nest in order to protect their young from the selfsame danger. Apart from
these powers, gemstone therapists say that the amethyst has a sobering and cleansing effect.
Amethyst has also been said to quell excessive stomach acid and, according to Hildegard von
Bingen, served to combat insect bites and beautify the skin. But the amethyst not only had a
firm niche in medicine; it was also esteemed as a stone of friendship. And since it was
thought to put the wearer in a chaste frame of mind and symbolise trust and piety, the amethyst
came to occupy a very prominent position in the ornaments of the Catholic clergy over the
centuries. It was the stone of bishops and cardinals; we find it in prelates' crosses and in
the so-called Papal Ring (Italian, 15th century) in the Jewellery Museum in Pforzheim.

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