Citrine jewelry makes the perfect gift for a birthday
in November. This gemstone actually belongs to the quartz family,
although it is often
mistakenly referred to as topaz. Almost all citrine jewelry is made
with heat-treated amethyst. While this can occur naturally when amethyst
is exposed to heating in the ground, gems are often cut and then heat-treated
to control uniformity. Certain varieties of smoky quartz may also
be heat-treated to create gemstones for citrine jewelry.
The name citrine comes from the old French word citron
meaning yellow. While natural citrine is not very common, other forms
of quartz are and the rich golden-orange to very dark orange color
keeps citrine jewelry in high demand. It should be noted that citrine,
although very similar to yellow topaz, is considered less valuable.
Be wary of citrine jewelry that is marketed using prefix names such
as "gold topaz, citrine topaz or Brazilian topaz". Though
Imperial, Oriental and Precious topaz are documented varieties.
With a Moh's scale of hardness rating at 7, citrine
jewelry may be worn frequently and cleaned with gem cleaner to maintain
its brilliance. As with any gemstone, care should be take to avoid
scratching or directly hitting.
