Citrine

Citrine is a birthstone for November. Some places identiy precious topaz as a birthstone for November. Citrine is also recognized as the gem for the thirteenth anniversary.

Citrine is the transparent, pale yellow to brownish orange variety of quartz. The best citrine color is a saturated yellow to reddish orange but free of brownish tints. Natural citrine is rare. Most citrine on the market is the result of heat treatment of amethyst.  The only difference between citrine and amethyst is the oxidation level of iron ions, so by heating it, it changes the color.  Ametrine is a natural bicolor combination of quartz, both golden citrine and violet amethyst in a single specimen. 

Natural citrine can be found in the Ural Mountains of Russia and in Madagascar. Most citrine that is really heat-treated Amethyst comes from Brazil.  

For years, citrine was confused with the similarly colored topaz. Topaz is harder and heavier than citrine, and because it has a higher refractive index, it also exhibits more fire in faceted stones. 

Citrine has a hardness of seven on the Mohs scale, which means it is scratch resistant enough to be set into rings, bracelets and any other jewelry for daily wear. Quartz is the second most abundant mineral on earth, after Feldspar. It is widely available, even in large sizes of up to 20 carats or more. The price per carat does not rise dramatically for larger sizes. This makes citrine ideal for large cocktail rings or statement brooches and pendants. 

• Spiritual: gives courage to face life
• Soul: gives joie de vivre; aids self-expression; helps with depression
• Mind: helps deal with and understand absorbed impressions
• Body: fortifies the nerves, stomach, spleen and pancreas; also helps with bedwetting