| Citrine is one of the most affordable gemstones. Named after the French word for lemon, "citron", many citrines have a juicy lemon color. Citrine includes yellow to gold to orange brown shades of transparent quartz. In ancient times, citrine was carried as a protection against snake venom and evil thoughts. Natural citrines are rare. Most of the traded citrines are heat-treated amethysts or smoky quartzes. Since most citrine on the market started its life as amethyst, which was heated to turn its color to lemony yellow, citrine jewelry, as well as amethyst jewelry, should be kept away from prolonged exposure to strong light or heat. With this precaution, citrine jewelry will last for many generations.
Citrine colors
Buying Citrine
Where is Citrine found?
Common Citrine Treatments
World-famous Citrine
Citrine gemology
Citrine legends & lore Citrine colors
Natural citrines are mostly pale yellow. Almost all heat-treated citrines have a reddish tint, which applies especially for smoky quartzes. Brazilian heat-treated amethysts that are called citrines are light yellow, dark yellow or red-brown, depending on the temperature used. Once Madeira citrine, named after the color of the wine, was in big demand. As fashion changes, today many people prefer the bright lemony shades that mix better with pastel colors.
Buying Citrine
Color
Color dominates the decision process if it comes to buying. The present demand of fashion favors the bright lemony shades.
Clarity
Look out for flawless transparent stones.
Cut
Citrines come in various calibrated shapes and sizes. The most common shapes include faceted, oval and emerald (step) cuts. Citrine location and deposits
The most important deposits of natural citrine are in Brazil. Other locations include Argentina, Madagascar, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia Russia, Scotland and Spain. Common Citrine treatments
Citrines, with the exception of natural stones, are heat-treated amethysts or smoky quartzes. The used temperature defines the color. Brazilian amethyst turns light yellow at 878 degrees F (470 degrees C) and dark-yellow to red-brown at 1022-1040 degrees F (550-560 degrees C). Some smoky quartzes turn into citrine color already at about 390 degrees F (200 degrees C). World-famous Citrine
None Citrine gemology
Species: Quartz
Color: Light to dark yellow, gold-brown
Chemical composition: SiO, silicon dioxide
Crystal system: Hexagonal (trigonal), hexagonal prisms with pyramids
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale)
Specific gravity: 2.65
Refractive index: 1.544 - 1.553
Birefringence: +0.009
Optical character:
Color of streak: White
Absorption spectrum: Not diagnostic
Fluorescence: None The Citrine zodiac, myth & legend
Citrine is often used as a birthstone of November along with topaz.
In Antiquity, as well as in the Middle Ages people believed that the cosmos is reflected in gemstones. Citrine is assigned to planet Mercury. The esoteric movement revived the ancient belief and the gem industry made it another marketing tool to promote certain gems.
The healing powers of gems remain a controversial issue, but are mentioned for centuries by healers, shamans and medicine men. Whether its factual or a placebo effect doesn't matter, if it helps. The safest approach is to wear the gemstone in skin contact to the troubled part of the body. Citrine is said to be of help for backache.
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