Before they reached her, Diana turned her into a statue of pure crystalline Quartz to protect her from the advancing tigers. Dionysus let loose fierce tigers while Amethystos was on her way to pray to the goddess Diana. One legend from Greek mythology tells the tale of Dionysus, the god of intoxication, and a young beautiful maiden, named Amethystos, who refused his advances. While pouring wine for their guests they could serve themselves water, as the dark purple hue of the gem would disguise the color of the drink so it looked like wine, thus allowing the lord appear to be partaking in a tipple! Following the same theme, it was thought in ancient times if you wished to save a drunkard from delirium you could mix crushed Amethyst into a person’s drink. In ancient times, wealthy lords who wanted to stay sober were said to have had drinking glasses or goblets made from Amethyst.
THE HISTORY OF AMETHYSTĪmethyst’s use in rudimentary jewelry can be traced back as far as the Neolithic period (approximately 4,000 BC) and samples of it set into gold rings have been uncovered in burial sites from around 2,400 BC.Īmethyst is the name given to purple Quartz and some believe that its name derives from the Greek word ‘Amethustos’, ‘a’ meaning ‘not’ and ‘methustos’ meaning ‘to intoxicate’. With a fascinating history and so much color, let's explore more facts about Amethyst and its varieties. Known for having eye clean clarity in many specimens and for being readily available in generous carat weights, Amethyst remains one of the most popular gemstones on the market. The gem perfectly showcases all that this mineral has to offer, across a variety of hues from delicate light pinks to deep dark purples. Their specialty of strong-themed pieces and their willingness to produce whatever their wealthy clients desire has earned them a niche in the US market.Amethyst is the flag bearer for the Quartz family of gemstones, which also includes Citrine and Prasiolite. Zorab jewellery has been present in the US market for the past 20 years and Henri and Liza are pleased with the business they have generated and their range of clientele.
The company also produces more classic pieces such as a yellow gold Zorab bracelet covered in blue sapphires, diamonds and peridot and a pair of gold and palladium drop earrings dripping with white diamonds and contrasting blue sapphires. I was shown a fiery-red horse head bracelet animated with multi-coloured diamonds, orange, red and yellow sapphires, spessartite garnets and white diamonds on rose gold as well as an impressive tiger-striped flower ring made of black, white, yellow, and blue diamonds. Henri and Liza show me a few pieces with neon-blue tourmalines from the Paraiba mines in Brazil that have nearly depleted their supplies of the stunning gem which is now sourced from Mozambique. They are fully integrated in the production cycle, from mine to market and source their gems from Africa and South America, including Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar.
Zorab produces about 500 pieces a year, and, as Henri explains, each item can take from six months to a year to complete. In addition to its headquarters and flagship boutique in Beirut, the company has gem-cutting facilities in Bangkok and an office in San Diego, California designed to cater to its American clientele, its largest market globally. Based in Lebanon, this family jewellery business has been selling limited edition and bespoke pieces to wealthy clientele for four decades.Īccording to Henri and Liza Istamboulian, the second-generation family members who now run the business, Zorab's distinct character has seduced oil tycoons from Russia to Texas as well as international celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion Big, bold and colourful creations inspired by nature and accented by generous multi-coloured gemstones are trademarks of Zorab Atelier de Creation.
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