The gemstone Citrine is the official birthstone
for the month of November as adopted by the American National
Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also the Planetary
stone for the Sun Sign of Virgo and the accepted gem for the
13th and 17th wedding anniversary. See the birthstone
tables for additional references to this stone or citrine
jewelry.
Citrine is a variety of quartz ranging in colors
of yellow, yellow-brown, orange, dark orange-brown, reddish-brown.
Citrine crystals can form together with amethyst or smoky
quartz to form a bi-colored quartz called ametrine.
Almost all citrine that is available on the market today
is heat-treated amethyst. Natural citrine is pale yellow to
pale orange, much lighter than the heat-treated material which
is dark orange-brown to reddish-brown. All of the heat-treated
material has a red tint, while natural citrine does not.
Some amethyst deposits have been found where the amethyst
was changed naturally by high temperatures to brown citrine.
Most citrine comes from Brazil, but almost all of the Brazilian
material is heat-treated amethyst. Natural citrine can also
be found in the Ural Mountains of Russia, in Dauphine, France,
and in Madagascar. The inexpensive low grade amethyst is heated
at high temperatures to produce the popular orange, reddish
and sherry colored citrine. Darker colors are considered more
valuable, including the medium golden orange and dark sherry-colors.
Citrine may be mistaken for the more expensive orangish-yellow
topaz and, at times, may be sold as topaz by dishonest gemstone
vendors. Due to this, citrine buyers are sometimes suspicious
of any citrine and think it may actually be fake topaz.
Citrine is a 7.0 on the Mohs
scale of hardness.
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see other November
birthstones

Folklore, Legend, and Healing Properties:
Citrine is believed to help the heart, kidney,
digestive tract, liver and muscles. It promotes creativity,
helps personal clarity and eliminates self-destructive tendencies.
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