Nature doesn’t make mistakes. But when things go awry, we see an end result that is often startling. One such example is amethyst, a prized gemstone that has captivated people around the world for centuries.

Amethyst is purple-colored quartz. Most of the amethyst we see today was formed over 130 million years ago from ancient lava fields. As the hot lava cooled, cavities naturally formed. Gases and water were trapped inside these open spaces, providing the perfect environment for quartz crystals to form. While the purest form of quartz is colorless, Nature does not always follow the rules. Iron atoms made their way into some of these cavities, becoming part of the crystalline structure of the quartz. This “mistake” resulted in amethyst’s deep purple color, proving that Nature can turn a flaw into something truly spectacular.

The imperfection in the amethyst is what creates its beauty. All of us are perfectly imperfect. We grow, learn and change. And as we do, our imperfections help to create the very things that make us innately beautiful.