 |
About us | Contact us | Services | Copyright | ||
| Back Issues | News & Events | Junior Rockhound | Resources | Clubs | Dealers | Web Links | Home |
| |||||
| | ||||
| |||||
|
 Copyright
The Alluring Amethyst By Habeeb Salloum
My charming guide smiled. "That's him! You know, there is a legend that it was once an Indian chief called Nanibijou who was turned to stone by the Great Spirit." "Why?" I grinned. "It was his punishment for revealing to the white man the secret location of Thunder Bay's rich amethyst mines." The guide smirked as she began to talk about our next tourist site. Moving along, I thought to myself, "To become the basis of a legend, the uncovering of the amethyst mines to invaders from across the seas must have been truly an important event to the indigenous peoples." Canada's original natives did have a point, for this semi precious gem has, since the dawn of history, evoked the aura of mystery, romance and fable. Mined from the time of the Pharaohs, it has, through the centuries, been held in high esteem by potentates and men of wealth. It is said that an amethyst necklace was among the most highly treasured possessions of Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth I.
Through the ages, to some, the amethyst symbolized power and to others, like the Roman Catholics and Tibetan Buddhists, it was a token of sanctity. Many of its finest specimens, in the Medieval Ages, graced the fingers of bishops and the regalia of royalty. Beginning with the ancient Egyptians, amethysts were for hundreds of years employed as amulets to dispel sleep, preserve a person against harm in battle, protect the wearer against contagious diseases, sharpen the wits and as an antidote against poison. Traditionally, in a good number of countries, it was believed that this gem protected the farmers' crops from hailstones and locusts; brought good luck; and was a symbol of deep love, happiness, humility, sincerity and wealth; while the purple-coloured amethyst stones brought sobriety. In Arabic the term al-hilma and in Hebrew the word allamah mean 'the dream'. Hence, to fantasize about the amethyst was supposed to keep the person free from harm and to cause enchanting dreams and visions. In Exodus the amethyst is mentioned as one of the 12 stones adorning the breastplate of the high priest of Yahweh and in Revelations, it was used to adorn the twelfth foundation of the wall of Jerusalem. Leonardo da Vinci believed that the amethyst had the power to control evil thoughts, quicken the intelligence and make men shrewd in business matters. The belief in the power of the amethyst has come down to our times. It is February's birthstone and is associated with the planet Jupiter, and the gemstone for those born under the sign of Pisces. A bluish-violet, fading almost to pink, or a deep purple and transparent crystalline variety of quartz, this colourful stone is found in many parts of the world. It is mined in appreciable amounts in at least seven countries - Brazil, India, Siberia, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, the U.S.A. and, in Canada, in the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and in the Ontario's Thunder Bay area (Figures 1 and 2). Until the late 18th century, this gem quality quartz was ranked among the most precious of stones found in the world. However, its value fell near the end of the 18th century when large deposits were found in Brazil and Uruguay. Amethyst is found in crystallized crusts lining the cavities in many different rock types (Figure 3). Its remarkable colour range makes it one of the most valuable and coveted of the many forms of quartz. The most desirable type of this gemstone is the purple-coloured, classified as 'Siberian'. Down the scale, the more poorly coloured are graded as 'Uruguayan' and the least desirable is called 'Bahian'.
In 1975, amethyst was declared 'Ontario's Official Mineral' and this has made the five Thunder Bay mines widely known. The mines are all signposted from Highways 11 and 17 east of Thunder Bay. Each offers travellers the opportunity to hand-pick their own samples of this colourful quartz. The nearest mine to the city is the Thunder Bay Amethyst Mine Panorama, claiming to be the largest amethyst mine in North America. Like the other mines, it is open to tourists from mid-May to mid-October. Visitors, after paying a one dollar entrance fee, can pick all the amethyst they find and pay $2. a pound for the stones, or they can buy the polished and cut gems from the mine's gift shop or its factory in Thunder Bay. It matters not if tourists pick these colourful stones from the mines or buy the finished gems from shops, amethysts enhance the lure of Ontario's Northern Capital - also noted for its winter and summer sports.
Thunder Bay Tourism and the Canadian Rockhound are thanked for their assistance in the preparation of this article.
This article may not be copied, distributed or reprinted in any form without permission from the author. To contact the author, please use the e-mail address provided. If you are unable to contact the author, please contact the Canadian Rockhound. Authorized reprints must acknowledge the authors and the Canadian Rockhound, and include the website URL address of the Canadian Rockhound.
Salloum, H. 2002. The Alluring Amethyst adds to Thunder Bay's Ttourist Appeal. Canadian Rockhound. 6(2):1 [http://www.canadianrockhound.com]
 
Copyright © 2002 Canadian Rockhound
Back Issues |
News & Events |
Junior Rockhound |
Resources
|
