Citrine

Citrine is one of the most affordable gemstones, thanks to the durability and availability of this golden Quartz. Named from the French name for lemon “citron” many Citrines have a juicy lemon color, although the most Citrine gemstones color is golden.

A Citrine gemstone includes yellow to gold to orange br own shades of transparent Quartz. Sunny and affordable, a Citrine gemstone can br ighten almost any jewelry style, blending especially well with the yellow gleam of polished gold. Citrine gemstones are the perfect complement to all the warm tones in your wardrobe. Its sunny shades are also a lovely way to light up black and gray or contrast against blue.

In ancient times, Citrine gemstones were carried as a protection against snake venom and evil thoughts.

Citrine was particularly popular in the retro jewelry of the 1940s. Its sunny color and dramatic proportions suited the streamlined style and bold gold of the era. It was often set with ruby, peridot, and aquamarine in colorful brooches, necklaces and bracelets. Jewelry designers today also love to set Citrine in yellow gold, either alone or in combination with Amethyst, Blue Topaz, or Peridot. 

Citrine is generally more affordable than amethyst, its quartz cousin. Like all Quartz gems, Citrine is relatively plentiful and is available in a wide range of sizes and shapes, including very large sizes. Joan Crawford often wore an emerald-cut Citrine ring that was more than 100 carats. She had a matching cuff bracelet and necklace also set with huge citrines.

Although the darker, orange colors of Citrine, sometimes called Madeira citrine after the color of the wine, has generally been the most valued color, in modern times, many people prefer the bright lemony shades which mix better with pastel colors. Citrine is generally more inexpensive than amethyst and is also available in a wide range of calibrated sizes and shapes, including very large sizes.

Most Citrine is mined in Brazil . Supply of Citrine is good from the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, particularly from the Serra mine, which is producing 300 kilos a month of hammered goods. The Iraâ mine produces an additional 100 kilos a month of hammered goods.

Sometimes you will hear Citrine referred to as Topaz Quartz, which is incorrect. This name was used in the past in reference to the color, which is sometimes similar to the color of Topaz. Since Topaz is a separate mineral, this type of name can be confusing and should not be used. However, Citrine is considered an alternative to Topaz as the birthstone for November.

Since most Citrine on the market started its life as Amethyst which was heated to turn its color to gold, Citrine jewelry, as well as Amethyst jewelry, should be kept away from prolonged exposure to strong light or heat. With this precaution, Citrine jewelry will last for many generations.

The Most Valuable Citrine
The most valuable citrine is of a very dark orange color, perfect clarity, perfect cut and is over 10 carats.
Here is a Summary of Citrines of Different Levels of Quality and Value:

Lowest Value: These citrine beads are of very low value because they are small, uncut(tumble polished without shape),poor clarity and average color.	Low Value: A citrine cabochon is almost always worth less than a faceted cabochon because of the poor clarity.  However, its color is decent.	Medium Value:  This stone is worth more than the previous 2 citrines because it is clearer, bigger and faceted.	Highest Value:  This is the most valuable kind of citrine: perfect clarity, perfect cut (sparkly and even), intense burnt-orange.  Even though it is smaller than the previous citrine, it is still more valuable because of its other characteristics.

Keep these factors in mind for getting your money's worth when shopping for citrine jewelry.  But of course, you should defer to your own taste first.  If you think lemon yellow citrines are the prettiest, than lucky you! 

Below are large pictures of individual citrine gemstones and citrine jewelry discussed and analyzed. 

This citrine is bezel cut, a style that has become popular in the last 5 years or so.  The advantage of this cut is that there is more sparkle on the surface.  The disadvantage is that we lose some of the reflected light from the bottom of the stone.  This citrine is a typical yellowish orange.

This citrine is a very light yellow.  Sometimes called "lemon citrine,"  it has come into fashion in some places.  However since this color is the least rare, it is generally less valuable.  The cut and clarity of this stone are also less than ideal.

Wow!  This is an amazing citrine.  The color is the most valuable intense dark reddish orange; the cut is excellent reflecting lots of light and having perfect facets.  It is perfectly clear.

This citrine has been given a very excellent emerald (baguette) cut.  Light is nicely reflected and the facets are pretty even.  The color of this stone is yellow with a tinge of green - not as valuable as orange, but interesting.

This citrine is poorly cut.  We can see straight through it and minimal light is reflected back to our eyes.  This is called a "fish eye."  The facets are irregular as well.  Otherwise, the stone has excellent clarity and a nice color.