Citrine

The November Birthstone

Citrine is the "official" birthstone for November. Natural citrine is a form of quartz, however it is rarely found. The majority of commerically available citrine is amethyst or smoky quartz that has been heat treated. The term "citrine" tends to be used for any quartz based stone of the appropriate colour.

Citrine is a yellow, often yellowy-green, gem. Although natural citrine is rarely found, other heat treated forms of citrine are abundant. For this reason it hasn't been valued much as a gem in its own right. However this is now changing due in part to clever marketing campaigns emphasising the different shades you can buy and giving them evocative names such as Butterscotch.

Symbolism and Lore

There is very little lore or mythology related to citrine, possibly because it is so rarely found in nature. The name used to be more of a "catch-all" term for a variety of stones.

Most associations for citrine tend to come from its colour. Some varieties have a sunny look so it has sometimes been said to be a cheerful stone - much needed in the Northern hemisphere during November!

Citrine has also been said to ward off poison such as snake bites. This is possibly a form of sympathetic magic related to the tradition of viewing poison as green.