6th Year Anniversary - Amethyst - 136 Designs

Anniversaries are traditionally celebrated with the giving of gifts relating to the year of the wedding or civil partnership. Around the turn of the 19th century it was popular to give gifts of paper, cotton or leather for the first few years. However, in more recent times and due to the increasingly availability of fine rare gemstones, it is more popular to give jewellery to the one you love.

In the sixth year of marriage it is customary to give the gift of Amethyst. Throughout history, Amethyst has been one of the most popular and mystical of all gemstones. It can be traced back to as far as the Neolithic period (approximately 4000bc). It is the purple variety of the Quartz family and its name derives from the Greek word Amethustos, “A” meaning “not” and “methustos” meaning “to intoxicate”.

Amethyst occurs in many shades from a light slightly lavender pinkish to a deep purple similar to that of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Amethyst is also pleochroic which means that when light hit’s the gem different colours such as reds and blues can be seen from different angles.