Santa Ana Maderia Citrine derives its name from the fortified wine that is made in the Madeira Islands off the coast of Portugal. Displaying a saturated reddish orange earthly colour these beautiful stones are the rarest of the Citrine’s. Accounting for less than 2% of all citrines found worldwide this very popular variety can sell for up to USD$140 per carat for GEM quality stones. They are a favourite for jewellers as unlike the golden topaz they will not fade over time lessening the value.

Belonging to the Quartz family, Citrine was often mistaken as Topaz of which come from two different families of gemstones. In early history they were refer to a gold topaz and Spanish topaz until it was clear they had different metabolic structure. It’s believed the Greeks first introduced Citrines in the Hellenistic period before Christ. Around the mid 1800’s Queen Victoria fell in love with the beautiful gem launching is popularity. In modern times it is known as the “Merchants stone” and often placed next to the cash register for Prosperity.

Citrines are the birthstone for the month of November and associated to the Zodiac of Sagittarius. Although 13 is an unlucky number for some, this is generally the gemstone used to celebrate the 13^th wedding anniversary and is best worn on a Thursday 😊

Throughout history this wonderful gem has been believed to calm tempers and sooth anger within the mind. It is also said that it manifests desires and lead to prosperity.

The largest deposits of Citrines are found in Brazil but are also located in Madagascar, Zambia, Bolivia, United States, Spain and Russia.

With a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale this stunning gemstone is a please to work with and can be faceted into all shapes and sizes. Care needs to be taken with direct heat to the stone from a jeweller’s torch as this may fracture the stone, but general care is to just clean with soapy water or even in an ultrasonic cleaner if it’s a natural stone. Avoiding direct sunlight over long periods of time may also fade the stone.