Stunning, vibrant and yellow; this gemstone has a warm, tantalizing tone that seems to have magically captured the last glow of a sunset. Quality Citrine can brighten up even the dreariest of winter days.

In its golden form the ancients revered the gemstone as a gift of the sun and they thought it to be a physically powerful antidote to the viper's venom. The gemstone is thought to have the power to disperse depression and manage anger. If a man wears the gemstone he is thought to become more striking and intellectual. For women, it is said to make her fertile and contented.

As Citrine is a member of the Quartz family, it is also sometimes referred to as Citrine Quartz and along with Topaz forms the birthstone of November.

The history of Citrine is comparable with that of Topaz, and they are thought to have similar extraordinary powers. The divergence between the two is a fluorine aluminium silicate. This gives it more fire and scintillation when the colour is good.

Every now and then Mother Nature combines the colours of Amethyst and Citrine into a single, arresting gemstone that is called Ametrine. Brazil is the primary source of the gemstones; both Amethyst and Citrine are found in other places such as Zambia.

Large bold and vivid yellow Citrines were set in jewellery made for Hollywood stars such as Greta Garbo in the 1930s. And as the rich grew in numbers, the desire for gemstones and jewellery increased - in particular yellow and brown gems came in vogue. It wasn’t just the ladies that took pleasure in wearing these gemstone, gentlemen were also adorning these attractive colours often in step and table cuts for cuff links and rings!

Citrine is a breathtaking candidate for unusual cuts and large sizes for unique and bespoke jewellery pieces. Throughout history, this precious stone has been accepted as a stylish accessory; in earrings, it works well to boost the lustre of your eyes, and not only looks incredible as part of formal evening jewellery - but is equally spectacular when worn in the day.

Natural Citrine or Yellow Quartz has been discovered on the Isle of Arran, Scotland, France, and Spain. Most of the naturally coloured Citrine on the market today is mined in Brazil; however all of these natural sources tend to produce pale and rather cloudy Citrine.

Citrine is currently mined in several locations around the world including Mozambique and Madagascar. With a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale it is very resistant to scratches and as it does not suffer from any cleavage properties, it is an incredible all-round winner for jewellery designers, and is sure to remain at the forefront of contemporary jewellery.

Hardness: 7, Refractive Index: 1.5