La Bonne Citrine

Know someone with a November birthday? Have a 13th anniversary coming up? You may want to look into jewelry with citrine in it. It is one of the November birthstones and also symbolizes year 13 of marriage. Citrine is associated with hope, strength, cheerfulness, youth, health, and fidelity. The gem is believed to promote creativity, help with personal clarity, and eliminate self-destructive tendencies. The name citrine comes from the French word “citrin”, meaning lemon. Citrine has a beautiful lemony, light orange hue that can range from the palest yellow to the darkest amber. It is an incredibly durable stone as it is part of the quartz family.

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People oftentimes associate birthstones with mystical powers and citrine is no exception. Citrine used to be worn to keep the wearer safe from venomous snakes while out in the wilderness. This practice was popular in China and especially in South America. Citrine is also said to eliminate negative energies. The stone is believed to have medicinal properties as well; it’s thought to cure kidney and urinary complications, and improve heart and digestive function. The citrine is also believed to remove body toxins and treat muscle disorders. Because of its protective and healing nature, many spiritual people who believe in crystal healing will carry a piece of citrine around.

It is important to note that natural citrine is rare. Most citrine is formed by heat-treating purple Amethyst. In some amethyst deposits, the amethyst has been partially or fully changed over to yellow Citrine by natural heating. Citrine may also be produced by heat-treating Smoky Quartz. The iron that is found in amethyst is responsible for the color change. Citrine was not mentioned often in history as a commonly worn gemstone. If it had not been for the discovery that amethysts could be rendered yellow through the application of heat, citrine might not have been mentioned again for a long time due to its rarity.

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Heat treated amethyst “citrine”

Natural or not, there is no denying the beauty of this stone. Citrine’s warm color brings a hint of warmth and the sun to the dull November days that serve as a warning for the upcoming cold winter.. Come by H&A and check out our citrine pieces before the month ends, and happy birthday to all the November birthday folks out there!