A Citrine Quartz

Photo: gia.edu

Citrine is a variety of quartz, which is a hard minimal composed of silicon dioxide (silica), whose color ranges from pale yellow to reddish-orange or brown and occasionally to green-yellow due to submicroscopic (too small to be seen by an ordinary light microscope) traces of iron in the crystal. Natural citrine is rare and tends to be pale in color. All of the bright yellow citrine stones on the market are in fact heated amethyst or smoky quartz. While the heat-treated amethysts produce attractive and sellable sunshine yellow stones, natural unheated citrine is rarer and thus has a greater market value.

The rarer natural citrines are the stones on the right. The rest of the citrines are citrine-heated-amethysts.

Citrine was 1st used in jewelry by the ancient Greeks between 300 - 150 BC. The yellow quartz rates a 7 on Mohs hardness scale, the same as tanzanite, zircon, and peridot yet is softer than diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, or topaz. It is suitable to wear as earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings with proper care. 

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge's Citrine ring that she wears to events.

Citrine is November's birthstone. It's mined mainly in Brazil, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar. The sunshine shaded gem is thought to bring the wearer energy, as well as, prosperity. In general, citrine is good value for the money. The supply versus demand keeps the prices of this golden crystal affordable. You can buy a nice-sized translucent rock without paying an arm and a leg!

Effy designed citrine pieces - The necklace sold at Macy's online. In Macy's search box enter ''Citrine'' or ''Effy.''

A yellow stone, whether it is an ultra-expensive yellow diamond or less-expensive yellow quartz, is not my personal favorite hue in a gemstone, however, I like its brightness as part of a bouquet of colors. Just a personal quirk of mine as yellow isn't one of my favorite colors. I like it best as an accent hue, not as a main color -- not in clothing, nor in flowers, nor in jewelry. Everybody is different though, and there's no logic to what we like; they are only matters of personal preferences. Who knows, one day I may change my mind.💛🙂

Photo: Ethan Lazzerini of natural citrine

The Duchess of Cambridge, nee Kate Middleton seems to love her citrine ring and wears it to a number of functions. And hey, she's prosperous. So see it works! Perhaps she knows something I don't.😉

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