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A variety of Quartz ranging in colour from lemon yellow to a deep red brown or amber is called Citrine and is also the birthstone for the month of November.
Natural deposits of Citrine are found in Argentina, Brazil, Madagascar, Myanmar, Namibia, Russia, Scotland and Spain, California within the United States is another good source.
These Gemstones have been passed off as the more expensive Topaz by some deceptive traders in the past using names like Bahia, Madeira and Rio Grande Topaz, this is acceptable if the trader is describing the colour of the Citrine but not to pass the Gemstone off as a Topaz.
The colouring agent for a Citrine is iron.
Natural Citrine's are usually a pale yellow colour with good attractive stones often used in rings or pendants; less attractive Gemstones are often made into necklaces.
A very high percentage of the Citrine found in the shops will actually be heat treated Amethyst as when treated in this manner Amethyst turns yellow, some Smoky Quartz also gets a yellow Citrine colour from the use of heat treatment.
Citrine can naturally form together with Amethyst making a bi-coloured Gemstone known as Ametrine. If left in sunlight for many hours a Citrine will permanently change it's colouring. Brazil is the world's leading producer of natural Citrine with the majority of it's production coming from the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The Citrine Gemstone is said to heal the heart, kidney, liver and the muscles and is also believed to symbolize long lasting friendship, energy and joy.
Citrine is also said to aid digestion and regulate the immune system promoting health and well being, lore and legend also suggests that Citrine calms and soothes distressed conditions. Soldiers in Caesar's legions are said to have worn Citrine on the chest during battle making use of the Gemstones life-saving properties, the jewel is also said to cleanse, purify and eliminate poisons that build up in the body.
Ancient cultures also believed that placing a Citrine Gemstone on the forehead of an elder would increase his psychic power.
This lovely yellow jewel is also known as the lucky merchants stone and if placed in the cash drawer it will help the money flow by increasing sales. Citrine is often given as a symbol of hope, youth, health and fidelity.
Like all Quartz the Citrine has a hardness of 7 on the Moh scale and is a wearable Gemstone, it's moderate hardness however can make Citrine prone to scratching, so storing your Citrine Jewelry in a fabric lined box away from other harder Gemstones would be a good idea.
Generally the darker the Gemstone the more you will pay for natural Citrine, Palmeira Citrine is a bright amber orange colour while Madeira Citrine has a deep brandy colour.
The golden lemon coloured Citrine achieved from heat treating Amethyst or Smoky Quartz should be the cheapest form of Citrine Jewelry that you purchase. The use of chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid and ammonium fluoride should be avoided to clean Citrine as contact with these can erode the stone. As a general rule it is always good practice to use a reputable jeweler who will be more than happy to advise you if the Citrine Jewelry you are looking to purchase, has been heat-treated or indeed is the natural Gemstone.
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