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The gemstone citrine, which belongs to rare minerals, is one of the varieties of quartz. And this means that its "brothers" include amethyst, mountain crystal, morion, aventurine and rose quartz, among others. All this, however, does not prevent citrine from being a distinct individual in a large family of beautiful minerals.
The earliest mention of citrine comes from the Flemish physician and mineralogist Anselmus de Boodt (1550-1623), according to whom "all crystals of a lemon-yellow color are called citrine." It is peculiar that for centuries this beautiful stone did not have its own name and was not identified as a separate jewelry mineral. It was called topaz, either Bohemian, Western or Spanish. It didn't get its own name until the 18th century, and it comes from the Old French word citrin = yellow.
The lack of precision in naming individual minerals led to confusion and misunderstandings. The same as with "citrine stones" was also the case with green and blue stones: all the green ones were called emeralds, and the blue ones sapphires. The yellow color of the stone was sometimes also associated with apricot, so such synonyms for citrine as apricotin or apricosin functioned.
Properties of citrine
Chemically, citrine is silicon dioxide (SiO2) - a variety of quartz. Citrine crystallizes in a trigonal system and forms prismatic-columnar crystals and pyramids at the end of the crystals.
The sheen of citrine is glassy to oily on the shell break, and it is not flaky. Hardness on the Mohs scale is 6.5 to 7, which qualifies citrine as a hard mineral. The density is determined at 2.65 g/cm3.
The mineral is quite rare and found less frequently than other varieties of quartz. It is found in Brazil, Madagascar, the Pyrenees, as well as in the USA, Kazakhstan and the Urals.
Citrine color
The typical color of citrine is yellow in a variety of shades: light to dark yellow, yellowish brown, lemon yellow or orange-yellow. Naturally yellow citrine occurs very rarely and is caused by two mechanisms: due to microscopic inclusions of iron hydroxide, which absorb a suitable range of light, dyeing citrine yellow to brownish-orange. The second coloring process is not yet fully elucidated and resembles the color centers in smoky quartz. Quartz containing traces of either aluminum, lithium or hydrogen can be tinted greenish-yellow under radiation.
Depending on the cause and source of the coloration, several types of citrine can be distinguished:
- Natural citrine, yellow to orange-yellow in color, containing iron - the factor that gives the color is admixtures of microscopic particles of iron hydroxide.
- Fired citrine, yellow to orange-brown - amethyst in many locations (Brazil, Uruguay, Namibia, Tanzania and others) has been transformed into citrine by heating. Depending on the origin of the amethyst, it needs a certain temperature range for this transformation to be possible. Brazilian amethysts, for example, receive a light yellow color at 470°C, and become dark yellow or reddish brown when heated to 550-560°C.
- Smoky quartz heated to 300-400°C can take on the color of citrine.
- Quartz containing aluminum can be colored yellow by irradiation.
- Heating to 150-250°C and irradiating the quartz can produce a greenish yellow coloration.
Importance and uses of citrine
Citrine is a sought-after stone for making rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants and bracelets. In some countries, citrine is a symbolic gift for the 13th wedding anniversary (incidentally, for the 15th anniversary a ruby is appropriate, and for the 20th - an emerald).
Stones that exhibit high purity and color quality can receive a variety of facet cuts, for example, brilliant, stepped, rosette, taffeta or fancy. Less pure and somewhat obscure citrines are kept in a smooth cabochon cut. A relatively new trend is to leave citrine uncut in jewelry. Uncut stones are either drilled as chain pendants or mounted in a pin setting. The advantage is that raw stones are usually slightly cheaper than polished ones for the same weight.
Effect of citrine
The energetic powers of the yellow stone can be harnessed in various ways. You can wear the crystal on your body in the form of jewelry, or in your pocket, from where it will have a positive effect. Citrine should not be used together with mountain crystal. Both stones are a variety of quartz and have similar energetic properties - the combined effect could be too strong.
Citrine is considered by some people to be a healing stone. However, it should be noted that there are no scientific studies to confirm these properties. As a healing stone, citrine is said to provide clarity of speech and good formulation of thoughts. It is a proven remedy for stress before tests and exams. Other forms of inner anxiety can also be managed with its help. Citrine crystal provides good digestion, literally and figuratively. It can be a good companion for people with depressive moods. It brings light and positive energy into their lives.
Effect of citrine on the body
In the body, citrine stimulates the activity of the stomach and intestines. The healing stone ensures that even heavy foods will be well utilized and many useful nutrients will pass into the body. It thus strengthens the body from within, also ensuring that the brain is well supplied with energy. When many various thoughts are swirling around in the head, citrine is able to bring order to this chaos. The power of the crystal also positively affects the thyroid gland. Thus, it strengthens the hormonal balance. It positively promotes hair growth.
Effect of citrine on the spiritual sphere of man
The yellow crystal absorbs the sun's rays during the day and locates a person's soul in a flexible energy field. Disturbances and disturbances of harmony are absorbed and slowly subside. Gently and with all peace of mind, a person's balance is gradually restored. The stone concentrates the energy of the sun's rays and transmits it to people. Especially in winter, when the days are getting shorter and the sun is missing, citrine can be a good companion. Many people carry citrine with them in winter to ensure that the soul gets enough sunshine.
Citrine and zodiac signs
This stone could be called neutral, as there are no representatives of zodiac signs that it could harm. So if citrine pleases someone, he can boldly wear it. Admittedly, there is nothing to count on its strength in this case either. Citrine mainly suits people born under such a sign as Aries and Leo, that is, belonging to the element of fire. To these people he will gift luck and success, becoming the best talisman. Citrine also has a good effect on Twins and Libra. In principle, it should not be worn by people under the sign of Scorpio, but if they really like it - it certainly will not hurt.
The largest citrine in the world
The largest polished stones weighing more than 1150 carats are in the Smithsonian Institution (USA), and the record belongs to a citrine weighing 2258 carats.
