When yellow, orange or gold color layers appear in amethyst, it is called ametrine (amethyst-citrine.) Amethyst can loose its color when exposed to heat, at which point it can wind up white, yellow, orange, or brown. Amethyst usually expresses as alternating color layers or zones where light and dark purple shades interweave with clear zones. Other mining locations include Madagascar, India, the USA (New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Missouri, California, Georgia), Mexico, Namibia, South Africa, and Canada. Amethyst is also found in large pieces and geodes (sealed caves) in Uruguay. If you want to use it outdoors, face it north, away from direct sunlight, or put it in the shade. If your amethyst crystal has a rich dark color, it is best to keep it indoors, away from a sunny window.

Be aware that sunlight can cause some amethyst to fade. You can use a small spotlight to highlight the amethyst in your room or gallery.

Outside, the sun brings out the blue tint, while under halogen bulbs, the color is warmer and more reddish from the yellow tint of the light-bulb. In the sun, amethyst may be a vivid purple, only to look dark or black indoors under dim lighting. Also, the perception of color depends on the light source strength and color tint. The color can range from purple-white to almost black. Occasionally, the shape forms long tubes, called vugs, of varying width, up to 45 feet long! Amethyst is usually found in Brazil, as small rounded caves from 6 inches across up to 8 feet long or more. In Feng Shui, amethyst represents wealth. Keep an amethyst near your chakras to promote a meditative state. Lovers of beauty will always enjoy wearing the citrine whether it is a small or large piece the meaning is invariably warm and positive.The amethyst color (indigo/ violet/ purple) represents the vibration of the pineal gland (third eye chakra- indigo and purple) and pituitary gland (crown chakra – lilac, gold and white). This is not a gem to wear while sunbathing, no matter how attractive the stone looks against the wearer’s skin.Ī lovely bright, yet warm stone the citrine is always a pleasure to see in a piece of gift jewellery. Cleaning is best done by rinsing under warm water and, if greasy, with a little dish soap on a soft toothbrush.Citrine crystals are sensitive to heat and light, they can fade over time for this reason, owners of citrine jewellery should take care to minimise exposure to hot, bright conditions. The crystals are quite brittle, so care needs to be taken when wearing this gemstone. The Chinese have long been experts in this field creating portraits carved directly into citrine gems. While citrine is cut into all the standard shapes and sizes, some upscale designers have created non-standard cuts for exclusive jewellery.Īs well as being cut with facets for classic jewellery items, citrine has long been carved in a process called lapidary. Often used as a relatively inexpensive substitute for topaz and even yellow sapphire.īecause citrine crystals can be large, running as large as 20 carats,jewellery can feature large stones making citrine ideal for use in a bold statement piece. The crystals can be faceted to enhance the colour and radiance. Citrine is these days mostly used as a gemstone. Most commercial citrines are artificially created from amethyst or smoky quartz.

Smoky quartz can be made into a form of citrine by exposure to low levels of radiation or by heat treatment.Ĭut citrine and yellow topaz can be confused by a visual examination, but topaz is harder than citrine with a Mohs rating of 8 compared to citrine at 7. Amethyst can start to turn a light yellow at 470 degrees Celsius and a dark yellow at a temperature above 550 degrees Celsius. Genuine, natural,citrine is light in colour and tends to have a cloudy or slightly smoky appearance whereas a stone made from heat treated purple amethyst will have a transparent colour but with lines in the crystal. Today, it is common for citrine to be heated to improve its hue, turning pale stones to the preferred deep amber colour, or just mass produced from other forms of quartz. The heating process can occur naturally, and at one time, all citrine was natural. The yellow colouring comes from the heating of iron impurities in quartz crystals. Citrine is a member of the quartz family of rocks.

Does heat treated amethyst fade in sun