Citrine .....The Golden Obsession

When you think Citrine you think of the golden fire flashing from the Sun! 

This gem is November's Birthstone and the  Wedding Anniversary.

Citrine is a transparent, yellow variety of Quartz, ranging in colour from pale to golden yellow, honey or almost brown, and may contain rainbow or sparkle inclusions. The name comes from the French word citron, meaning lemon. It was used as a gem in Greece as far back as 300 B.C., and because of its colour, is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Gold Topaz, Madeira or Spanish Topaz, or Safranite.

Citrine deposits were found in South America. Brazil is the top producer of citrine and the southern tip of Brazil gives us some of the best citrines. Other Citrine producing sites are Uruguay along the Atlantic coast that sits like a wedge between southern Brazil and eastern Argentina. Artigas, the mining area for the high quality amethyst and citrine, is almost 400 miles directly north of Montevideo near the Brazilian border.

Synonymous with Citrine's innards radiating sizzling tangy hues of golden yellow and ochre brown; are images of hot blooded South American women dancing the captivating sensuous Samba, Carimbo and Lambada.  With the hot sun in their eyes, a blazing yellow flower tucked behind one ear, and the surf breaking on the lips of their beaches; they gyrate sensuously to the rhythmic beat of the large African drums brought by their ancestors to the Americas. 

Citrine has been used ornamentally on tools and in jewellery for thousands of years. In ancient Greece, the stone now known as citrine first gained popularity as a decorative gem during the Hellenistic Age, roughly between 300 and 150 B.C. In the 17th century, Scottish weapon makers used citrine to adorn dagger handles, sometimes even using a single large citrine crystal as the handle itself.

 In Europe, the boom on this yellow crystal quartz didn't begin until, in the 1930s, European agate cutters settled in South America, sent large quantities of citrine back home, along with amethyst and agate. This supply to Europe with sufficient raw material came just at the right moment for the nascent upheaval in social conditions. As the bourgeoisie grew in strength, the demand for jewellery across a broader spectrum of social strata also grew, and the Citrine found a permanent niche for itself. Since until then it was really only the topaz which was known and used as a gold-coloured gemstone, the yellow and brown crystal quartz quickly became very popular among the ladies, being known as gold topaz or by the double-barrelled names that proclaimed their origin. However, this gem was also found in step and table cuts as cuff-links and rings in the evening wardrobe of fine 

Citrine encrusted with diamonds and other precious gems adds colour and gaiety to the personality of a beautiful woman!