Birthstone month: November
Color: Citrines range from pale honey yellow to deep brownish or reddish orange
Family: Quartz
Moh's Hardness: 7
Transparency: Transparent to semi-transparent
Citrine is from the quartz family, which includes other colorful stones such as agate, amethyst, chalcedony, jasper, rose quartz, smoky quartz, and tiger's eye. In fact, since natural citrine is rare, most citrines you see are actually heat-treated amethyst (GIA).
Because amethyst and citrine are both from the quartz family, occasionally a bi-colored hybrid gemstone will occur, aptly named ametrine. Ametrine displays a transition in color from amethyst's purple to citrine's yellow.
The citrine gemstone is transformed into a variety of shapes and cuts, from faceted to cabochon. It looks especially brilliant set into warm 18kt yellow gold.
Citrines are an excellent choice for everyday jewelry because they're fairly durable, inexpensive, and have such a rich color. Do you prefer your citrines set in silver or gold?
xo,
Christine
Sources:
Citrine Gemstone | Natural Citrine Stone - GIA, https://www.gia.edu/citrine#gem-overview