Quartz which includes the citrine gemstone, have been used for thousands of years and were very popular ornaments during the Hellenistic Age and throughout the Roman period. They resurfaced during the Victorian era. It is said Queen Victoria was particularly fond of citrine as it could be found locally in the Scottish Highlands. Citrines during that time were often used in Scottish shoulder brooches and kilt pins. The gemstone then grew extremely popular again in the 1930s and 1940s during the Art Deco movement where they were used as decorative ornaments on jewellery, clothing and even household items!

Citrines just like amethysts belong to quartz family. Not only is quartz one of the most abundant minerals on the earth’s continental crust, it is a robust and ideal gemstone to use in jewellery as it does not present any “cleavage” and has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale. There are two main varieties within the quartz family: macro-crystalline quartz that form large distinct crystals which includes citrine, amethyst, prasiolite and amétrine; and micro-crystalline quartz that is composed of minute crystals gathered together such as jasper, agate and chalcedony.

The citrine’s name derives from the latin “citrus” meaning “lemon tree” due to its natural yellow to brownish-orange shades. The gemstone was officially named in 1556 by Georg Bauer, the father of mineralogy, and was long confused with yellow topaz a completely different gemstone with a higher reflective index and hardness. Most citrines come from Brazil, but they can also be found in Zambia, Bolivia, Canada and Uruguay. The most valuable citrine is called Madeira citrine after the fortified Portuguese wine from the Madeira Islands which shares the same golden-brown colour.

Citrines are sometimes referred to as the “merchant’s stone” as they are said to bring prosperity and abundance to those who wear it. It is a stone that helps in the manifestation of certain goals or objectives. It is considered to boost confidence, courage and encourages decision and risk taking - a great stone for entrepreneurs as it also fosters optimism and concentration.

The citrine is the birthstone for the month of November, it’s a delightfully warm stone, that’s beautiful to wear in summer on bright sunny days or autumn as leaves turn golden-orange, a romantic and fascinating stone that evokes vitality and happiness.

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