Birthstones are gems – precious and semi precious – that are assigned to the birth month of an individual. These colourful stones are often associated with good fortune, and hold significant meaning for the wearer. For individuals born in November, the modern birthstone assigned is the transparent yellow variety of Quartz, Citrine.
The Origins of Citrine
Ferric impurities in Quartz lead to the formation of the pale yellow colour that is distinctive of Citrines. Natural citrines, although rare, are produced primarily in Brazil. However, plenty of commercial citrines are more often than not amethysts that are heat treated.
Value and Significant Properties of Citrine
For centuries, the supple stone of citrine has been referred to as a merchant’s stone due to the belief that it brings prosperity with a steady increase of wealth. Besides financial success, it is also said to attract love and happiness, making it particularly beneficial for improving personal relationships and providing protection against heartbreak and jealousy.
Citrine also holds some prominent healing properties especially when it comes to skin related issues such as irritations and allergies. It also assists with alleviating kidney problems, digestion troubles, menstrual symptoms and nausea.
Apart from physical healing, citrines can also be harnessed for their emotional healing energies as well. Releasing anger, nerves and negative impulses are some of its notable effects along with fighting anxiety and depression.
Citrine is associated with solar plexus, navel and crown chakras. Solar plexus is the chakra of relationships which explains the citrine’s role in improving interpersonal relations. The navel chakra regulates information from body to mind facilitating strong intuition and the crown chakra controls thought process and increases mental focus and clarity of thought.
Citrines are sold from anywhere between $10 – $30 per carat.
How to wear Citrine
Now that you know all about the birthstone, you’re probably wondering how best to incorporate the stone into your style statement. Given its pale colour, citrine jewellery pairs excellently with blacks and other deep colours. A ring is the best way to include the gemstone in your everyday style but for something more occasion specific you could opt for cute handmade jewellery featuring citrine as the centerpiece.
Alternative Birthstone: Topaz
The traditional alternative to citrine as the birthstone for November is topaz. A silicate mineral of aluminium, topaz is one of the hardest naturally occurring minerals and widely used in jewellery design. In its natural state, topaz is generally golden brown or yellow – quite comparable to the colour of citrine. However, topaz is much more valuable than citrine. Impurities can lend a variety of colours to topaz such as red, pink, orange and blue.
Considered one of the most ideal gemstones with good hardness, a desirable variety of colours and abundance in nature, topaz is associated with distinctive crystal properties as well. Spiritual properties of topaz improve communication, fortune, health and love whereas its healing properties aids in combating eating disorders, increasing metabolism and improving digestion.