The Amethyst 101
owned
by Queen Charlotte of England, valued at $10,000, might not now be
worth intrinsically $500. The exclusive charming violet colour of the
amethyst will probably always insure a demand for the best qualities
of this stone, and with a development of art in the treatment and uses
of precious stones and jewelry, the demand is likely to grow.
Of
all specimens of amethyst that appear in the market to-day, the
Siberian stones so far outclass all competitors in richness and depth
of their dark violet hue, that these beautiful gems mixed with others
would be instantly selected by the merest novice; so manifestly
superior is their quality that, comparatively speaking, they alone are
gems, and the only reason that their cost is not much greater than it
is, is because Nature has been generous in the quantity that she has
permitted man to extract from her mineral treasure house.
