Citrine
Properties of citrine
Of rare natural beauty, citrine is a striking stone, both for its appearance and its properties. Considered a gemstone, it belongs to the quartz family. Citrine owes its yellow to orange color to the presence of iron oxide particles. The stone belongs to the trigonal crystal system with a conchoidal fracture. Citrine has a vitreous luster.
This transparent stone typically has a hexagonal prismatic shape with rhombohedral ends. Its hardness is quite high, around 7 on the Mohs scale, and its density is 2.65.
It should be noted that citrine's rarity and high demand make it a prime target for counterfeiting. The most common method involves transforming more common quartz, such as amethyst. The purple color is then altered through thermal manipulation.
The world's most notable citrine deposits are found primarily in Brazil, Uruguay, the United States, Madagascar, Spain, Austria, Germany...
History of citrine
Although it is an extraordinary stone, the etymology of the word citrine is not truly surprising. The term derives from the Latin word "citrus," a term commonly used to describe lemons. The name citrine would therefore simply be a reference to the stone's color.
Citrine has been known since antiquity among the great civilizations of the Mediterranean basin. The ancient Egyptians had been using citrine for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, primarily to treat the bites of venomous animals. Citrine was associated with Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess. For the Greeks, it was the stone of healing and wisdom. It is the attribute of Chiron, the benevolent centaur and tutor of Asclepius, the Greco-Roman god of medicine. The Romans used citrine to make jewelry. They cut it into cabochons or engraved it using chalcography (negative engraving).
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Closer to our time, citrine has captivated the crowned heads of Europe since the 16th century and the Renaissance. History tells us that Emperor Charles V and Queen Victoria had a particular fondness for citrine, to the point of setting precious royal artifacts in it.
Benefits of citrine
In modern lithotherapy, citrine is considered the most suitable stone for calming and toning the body and mind. On a physical level, citrine benefits the digestive system as a whole. It is said to help alleviate ailments such as nausea, heartburn, food poisoning, and liver problems. Citrine also benefits the heart and blood circulation, as well as the kidneys and thyroid. The stone is believed to greatly help strengthen the body and invigorate the energy flows throughout it.
On a mental level, citrine has a positive influence that dispels negative vibrations and purifies the mind, thus promoting concentration and meditation. A warm stone, it helps achieve the serenity necessary for any intellectual or creative endeavor. It is even said to bring good fortune and luck to small professional or personal projects.
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On a karmic level, citrine acts as a shield for the aura. Its properties, which help dispel negative vibrations, are accompanied by purifying and energizing virtues for both the subtle and physical bodies. Citrine acts on the crown chakra, which governs meditation and intuition.
As a positive stone, it will bring healing and balance where discord and emotional excesses such as anger, phobias, and other negative feelings once reigned.
To purify citrine, slightly salted water should be sufficient to rid the stone of any negative energies it may have absorbed. To recharge it, exposure to sunlight in a quartz or amethyst geode should ensure optimal charging.
