YELLOW GEMS NAMES HOW TO
YELLOW GEMS NAMES PROFESSIONAL

The gemstone’s durability makes it a suitable keepsake. It will also withstand a few knocks, too, since its cleavage properties are non-existent. Like all crystal quartzes, citrine has a hardness of 7 on Mohs’ scale and is largely insensitive to scratches. The sunny gemstone’s beautiful colours can brighten almost any jewellery style, although it goes particularly well with yellow gold.Īn inexpensive gem, citrine is the perfect stone for popular free-form fancy cuts for unique and custommade pieces. Today, citrine is widely used in many jewellery styles. The first occurrences seem to be the use of citrine by Romans for intaglio and cabochon in the centuries immediately following the birth of Christ.Ĭitrine saw increased use as a gemstone in jewellery during the Romantic Age (1837-1860). There are few references in history to citrine, perhaps because of the stone's rarity Legend says it acts as an energising stone against issues of willpower, optimism, confidence and self discipline. In this shade, citrine is often confused with orange topaz. Indeed, the name citrine is derived from the French word citrin, meaning lemon-coloured. Traditionally the darker shades have held more value but recently consumer preference leans towards brighter lemony hues. Other deposits include Madagascar, the US, Spain and Africa. The best specimens of natural citrine come from Brazil, mined in Rio Grande do Sul.

Heat-treated citrine is readily available, very affordable and extremely durable.

YELLOW GEMS NAMES PROFESSIONAL

This heat treatment – involving temperatures up to 560 degrees – helps replicate the yellow, gold and amber shades of natural citrine and is clearly recognisable to a trained professional by the subtle stripes that the process leaves on the gemstone. The majority of citrine on the market, however, is actually heat-treated purple amethyst. It ranges in colour from a shade of light gold through to a fiery reddened-yellow and owes its hue to traces of ferric iron. It occurs when amethyst formations are close to natural heat sources in the Earth's crust. Natural citrine is the most valuable form of quartz, and extremely rare. What could they be?įirst in affordability and popularity is the quartz family – from the delicate pastel tones of ‘lemon quartz’ to the vibrant, vivid orange hues of citrine and all shades in-between.Ĭitrine is commonly confused with a similarly-coloured but more expensive topaz. Whichever gemstone you choose, you’re sure to bring warmth wherever you go.Jeweller explores the captivating hues of orange and yellow gemstones, from the rich gold of topaz to mandarin garnet, fresh citrine, and smouldering fire opal.īrilliant transparent gemstones in warm tropical tones of pale lemon, rich gold, delicate apricot or vivid saffron can be challenging to identify. The abundance of yellow gemstones doesn’t leave anyone out. And if you’re on a budget, you probably screamed, “yellow topaz”! For a toned-down yellow gem, citrine is a great choice. The yellow diamond is your best bet if you’d like an expensive, sparkly piece. With all these yellow gemstone options, you have several options. Ranked 9 on the Mohs scale, yellow sapphire is the closest alternative to yellow diamond, ranked 10 on the Mohs scale. Yellow tourmaline is the rarest yellow gemstone. It’s a variety of quartz which is an abundant and accessible stone. What is the most common yellow gemstone?Ĭitrine is the most common yellow gemstone. We’ve answered other questions you might have about yellow gemstones. They’ll use their experience, skills, and gadgets to tell you what stones you have. The best way to identify gemstones and tell them apart is by visiting a licensed gemologist. Amber is easy to detect as it’s a honey-colored mineraloid – it doesn’t occur in crystal form. Sapphire has properties similar to diamonds, such as a high refractive index. Meanwhile, citrine is similar to topaz which makes it difficult to differentiate.

YELLOW GEMS NAMES HOW TO

Knowing how to tell them apart will guide your buying decision.ĭiamonds are highly refractive, while citrines have a lower refractive index, meaning diamonds have a higher sparkle than citrine and other gemstones. Many yellow gemstones look similar, but if you look close enough, you’ll observe slight differences. However, amber is known to scratch easily as it ranks between 2 and 2.5 on the Mohs scale. Because the resin is sticky tree sap before hardening, it’s not unusual to find inclusions of plants and insects in amber.

This gemstone forms from fossilized tree resin through a process called polymerization. Amber occurs in several colors, with orange-yellow being the most common.

Yellow gems names