Citrine And Gloria Swanson |
Citrines can be found as the gemstone in rings, necklaces, bracelets, and all sorts of beautiful jewelry. In the 1930's Gloria Swanson wore her own favorite collection of citrine jewelry in and outside of her films. At that time it was very expensive, but now it is a reasonably priced gemstone. It was also first recognized in Europe during this period.
Citrine is a member of the quartz family. Quartz, the most common of all minerals, can be found in every class of rocks and under all sorts of conditions. Citrine has been referred to as "golden topaz", although it has no connection with that gemstone, except possibly in occasional similar coloring, such as with the expensive orange/yellow topaz. Up to the 1930's the golden topaz was favored. From then until now the name "golden topaz" is used in error when the stone is actually citrine. The topaz is heavier and has a higher refractive index, which means a brighter light emanates from it. Aluminum silicate also differentiates the topaz from the citrine.
Citrine gets its name from its lemon appearance (citrus), and its colors range from pale yellow, pale orange, and other shades to a golden brown. The most sought-after color is a yellow with brownish-red overtones. Its colors come from impurities of ferric iron. Since it usually cannot be found as a natural stone, it is carefully created by heating smoky quartz or amethyst to between 470 and 560 degrees. If this now common procedure had not been discovered, citrine, as we know it, would probably be non-existent. Citrine can also be combined with smoky quartz and amethyst to form ametrine quartz.
Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil produces the most citrine, and most of it is heated amethyst. The Ural Mountains of Russia, Madagascar, Hungary, Arran (Scottish island), Spain, and Dauphne, France are the sites of natural citrine. It has a hardness of 7.0 on the Mohl's scale, and therefore resists scratching. It is one of the birthstones for November, and also because of its color, for the sun sign of Virgo. It is often used as a gift for the 13th and 17th wedding anniversaries, and as a talisman it was believed to protect against snake bites and evil thoughts.
Citrine is one of the few yellow gemstones. Treated citrine has a reddish hue, while natural citrine is pale yellow or pale orange. Citrine is not as bright or sparkling as some other gemstones, but has a nice honey-color warm glow, like the reflections of sunshine.