Citrine
Global Mining Sites
Rio Grande do Sol in Brazil is the largest supplier of natural Citrine. Other locations this stone can be found are from mines in the USA, Russia, Madagascar, France, Scotland, Spain and Africa.
History
Citrine has been used ornamentally for thousands of years. In fact, in Ancient Greece, the stone was used as a decorative gem during the Hellenistic Age between 300 and 150 B.C. In addition, 17th century Scottish men used Citrine on the handles of daggers and swords for decorative purposes. However, there is also record of entire sword handles that were crafted from this stone.
More recently, Citrine was particularly popular during the Art Deco era between World War I and World War II. During this time, movie stars wore oversized and elaborate Citrine jewellery.
Appearance
Citrine is a variety of quartz, the colour is clear/translucent with hues ranging from pale yellow to amber and orange. It gets its yellow hues from the amount of iron within it. This stone is known to fade in direct sunlight.
Naturally occurring Citrine is quite rare, which is the result of natural heat and pressure applied to Amethyst over a very long period of time. Natural pieces are noticeably closer to a pale yellow in colour.