Citrine

Citrine is a variety of quartz named for its distinctive yellow colour. In 1556 the “father of modern mineralogy”, Georg Bauer, adopted the name Citrine to refer to the ‘yellow quartz’. The name Citrine stemmed from the Latin and French for lemon: ‘citrina’ or ‘citron’.

Citrines range in colours, from a pale yellow tint to a deep golden brown glow. Due to their sunny complexion Citrines have historically been associated with the sun by cultures across the globe. In ancient Rome, Citrines were commonly used in intaglio rings. From the 17th century traditional Scottish dress features Citrines as decorative handles for ceremonial swords and daggers. Queen Victoria favoured the yellow stones, as a product of her beloved Scotland.

Brazil, particularly the state of Rio Grande do Sul, has historically been a prolific source of citrines. Smaller sources have been found in the Ural Mountains in Russia, as well as in Scotland, Madagascar and Uruguay.

Citrines are believed to be symbols of the sun’s life giving powers and virility. Due the similarity in colour, Citrines have in folklore been imbued with healing powers for bladder infections.

In the late 18th century mineralogists discovered the transformation of Amethysts with heat treatment from pale violet into golden yellow Citrine look-alikes. Natural Citrines have now become a rarity, with the market flooded with heat treated imitation stones. As a member of the quartz family, Citrine’s have a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale. This makes them resilient stones that can withstand daily wear, coupled with their large size have meant that citrines have commonly been set in large rings for both men and women throughout the ages.