Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires are most of the classic gemstones adorning royal jewels. But they used to be accompanied by a stone that nowadays is most often found in museum gift shops: Amethyst. Here's the story of amethyst's rise and fall as...

Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz that has been valued for its beauty and metaphysical properties for thousands of years. Here's an overview of its history and properties.

Amethyst is one of the most abundant crystals in the world. But the most prized pieces can cost almost a million dollars. Some of the world’s largest amethyst geodes come out of Artigas, Uruguay. The earth beneath this region is uniquely suited to produci...