AMETHYST SPHERE Minas Gerais, Brasil Diameter circa 30 cm Amethyst is a transparent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz. It owes its lustrous colour mainly to inclusions of iron. The Egyptians, Etruscans and Romans already sought out these crystals for their beauty and healing powers. The name originates from the Greek word ‘amethystos’, which means ‘counteracting intoxication’. It expresses the belief of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks that a wearer of amethyst was immune to the intoxicating effects of wine. Similarly, wine from a cup made of amethyst was not supposed to have an intoxicating effect. Since this stone was as precious as rubies and sapphires at the time, this was a rather costly method of avoiding a hangover. The unique amethyst presented here is characterised by its enormous hollow, spherical shape, lined with sparkling amethyst crystals. The layers of lavender and violet hues each represent a different stage in its growth. * The full tax is charged on this item marked * in the auction catalogue, i.e. VAT is charged on the sum of the bid price plus the surcharge for those items. The VAT will be refunded to Purchasers providing a validly stamped export declaration. ------------------------------------------------- AMETHYST SPHERE Minas Gerais, Brasil Diameter circa 30 cm Amethyst is a transparent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz. It owes its lustrous colour mainly to inclusions of iron. The Egyptians, Etruscans and Romans already sought out these crystals for their beauty and healing powers. The name originates from the Greek word ‘amethystos’, which means ‘counteracting intoxication’. It expresses the belief of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks that a wearer of amethyst was immune to the intoxicating effects of wine. Similarly, wine from a cup made of amethyst was not supposed to have an intoxicating effect. Since this stone was as precious as rubies and sapphires at the time, this was a rather costly method of avoiding a hangover. The unique amethyst presented here is characterised by its enormous hollow, spherical shape, lined with sparkling amethyst crystals. The layers of lavender and violet hues each represent a different stage in its growth. Dieses mit * (Asterisk) bezeichnete Objekte ist vollumfänglich mehrwertsteuerpflichtig, d. h. bei diesen Objekten wird die MWST auf den Zuschlagspreis plus Aufgeld berechnet. Käufer, die eine rechtsgültig abgestempelte Ausfuhrdeklaration vorlegen, erhalten die MWST rückvergütet.