Amethyst is a member of the quartz family and has a hardness of 7 on the mohs scale. It gets it's color from a combination of iron and aluminum.
Metaphysically, Amethyst is known to aid in spiritual protection. It can also help with overindulgence and and quitting bad habits.
All information provided regarding the physical and metaphysical properties of this stone is from "The Book of Stones" by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian.
