Kalistan

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Reed Jewelers Presents Empress with "Imperial Amethyst"
Largest single Amethyst Crystal found in cave in Davon Mountains, Ananto
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 3, 5666


Her Imperial Majesty holds "Imperial Amethyst" at Reed Jeweler in Kaliburg

The largest single amethyst crystal ever found in Kalistan was presented this week to Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Mary I Ananto at the headquarters of Reed Jeweler in Kaliburg. The amethyst was presented as a gift to Her Imperial Majesty by Lord William Reed, who holds the official title of "Imperial Jeweler" and is entitled a Baron in the Peerage due to his service to the Crown. The amethyst, weighing 27.3 pounds (12.4 Kg) was purchased by Lord Reed from three cave explorers who returned to Kaliburg after finding a massive geode in a cave in the Davon Mountains between Kaliburg and Dulnerstaad.

"Well, according to the hikers, the geode weighed more than 130 pounds" said Lord Reed, at the presentation ceremony in his store, "and would be very difficult to bring back whole due to the tightness of some of the spaces they needed to crawl through on their way back to the entrance, so they cracked it open right there in the cave and found several major crystals, the largest being what we have called 'The Imperial Crystal.' As we are no longer permitted to sell amethyst in Kalistan in a retail outlet, due to sumptuary laws, I have decided to donate this amethyst to Her Imperial Majesty's collection." Reed said he purchased the crystals from the hikers for more than ₭675,000 Imperial Rubles. "That was far under the going rate for the amount of carats in these gems, but it was a far better deal than they would have gotten from private dealers without ties to the Monarchy."

Reed says Her Imperial Majesty received the gift graciously, and visited the store to take possession of the gem stone. "Her Imperial Majesty gave brief remarks to my staff and whatever patrons were in the store, about the importance of amethyst to the Nation: the purple of a rich amethyst graces the Imperial Standard and has long been associated with the dark purple of a ripe wine grape, which of course has been the symbol of our state for eons," said Reed. "She spoke softly and carefully, and I would say reverently, as she received the crystal to add to her collection. I originally offered her to break the crystal down and make an entire collection of jewelry out of it, but she refused, and said she prefers to keep it raw and whole."

The gemstone will be transferred to the Imperial Jewelry Collection, where it will be displayed in the Amethyst Section along with other notable crystals. Her Imperial Majesty, seeking to pay for the gem, offered to have House Ananto purchase it outright, but Reed would not agree to any sum of money for it, so he instead suggested that House Ananto make a donation in his name to one of his preferred charities, Kaliburg's "Note for Note", which brings volunteers in singles, doubles or quartets, to sit with old people and play music for those who have lost their memory.

"I told the Empress that for those with dementia, hearing familiar music helps them recall specific times in their life and dwell in those memories, rather than spending their time confused and frightened. It gives them a bit of peace, and lets them meet masterful musical volunteers, who come in to play for them. It is a very good organization that brings joy and peace to the elderly who suffer from dementia." Her Imperial Majesty told Lady Helen Ananto to write a check for Note for Note in the amount of K1.4 Million Imperial in Reed's name.

"If I were to value the stone by the carat, I would put it at 1.2 Million," said Reed. "She gave that charity K200,000 more than what the stone was worth. She is so generous with her time and money, and I know that that will go a long way for that charity organization. So bless her for that care and generous spirit. Its why I love doing business with this Empress."

@TheRepublic