A favorite material of ancient cultures, amethyst has endured the ages as one of man's most prized possessions.  Amethyst ranges in color from a very light lavender to a deep violet shade of purple sometimes with slight hues of pink and red. Banded amethyst or cape amethyst may have lines of agate or chalcedony running through the amethyst. This may also be called chevron amethyst.  The main Canadian source of amethyst is near Thunder Bay, Ontario where mining has taken place intermittently over the last one hundred years. Scientists believe the amethyst find near Thunder Bay to be over one billion years old. Amethyst is found worldwide and has the distinction of being the birthstone for February and the official gemstone of the province of Ontario.