Amethyst
Amethyst is a transparent variety of quartz that has long been valued as a precious stone because of its violet color, which is due to either its higher content of iron oxide than other varieties of quartz, or to manganese or hydrocarbon content. Heating either removes the violet color, or changes it to yellow. Amethyst is found primarily in India and Persia, and also in parts of Europe. In Bible History, amethyst was one of the precious stones used in the high priest's breastplate, and in Prophecy, amethyst will be found in the foundation of the New Jerusalem.
Amethyst was one of the precious stones found in the breastplate of the high priest, beginning with Aaron:
"And you shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined linen shall you make it. It shall be square and double, a span its length and a span its breadth. And you shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel; they shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes." (Exodus 28:15-21 RSV)
Amethyst (and all of the other types of precious stones that were found in the breastplate of the high priest - translation differences notwithstanding) will also be found in the foundation of the New Jerusalem:
"And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls."
"The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its breadth; and he measured the city with his rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length and breadth and height are equal. He also measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits by a man's measure, that is, an angel's. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst." (Revelation 21:10-20 RSV)
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Revelation 21:23-25
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