Long stone necklace — Amethyst

A necklace built around a natural stone, mounted so that the material shows from every angle.

A purple quartz whose shade runs from pale mauve to deep violet, often stronger at the tip of the crystal than at its base.

Symbolic reading. The stone of temperance for the Greeks — its name means "not intoxicated" — it has been credited since antiquity with calming the mind and clearing judgment. Crystal healing associates it with the third eye chakra.

In practice. Wear on its own for a clean effect, or layered with finer chains. Store flat so the chain does not twist.

• Its color comes from traces of iron in the quartz, revealed by the natural radioactivity of the surrounding rock.
• A natural piece: shade, veining and dimensions vary from one example to the next

A decorative object for personal practice. It is no substitute for medical advice or treatment.