The ancient Romans carried him on the breast, to protect themselves from the evil eye, in the Middle Ages had been worshiped as Sunstone, which promised eternal life to its wearer - Citrin, whose name derives from the Latin'citrus' and alludes to the yellow color, is known since at least 2000 years. However, a real boom it experienced in the 1830s, when emigrants from Idar-Oberstein, who had come as agate cutter to Brazil and Uruguay, along with amethysts and agates also Citrine sent to the old country.
The yellow gem was just right for social upheaval that brought the bourgeoisie its great time and the jewelry manufacturers rapidly growing demand. Citrine has great resemblance to the gold topaz, but is more affordable and has been in large quantities at rings, cufflinks and other pieces processed. Even today, Idar-Oberstein world center of gems.
Citrin is a yellow variety of quartz, found in granite pegmatites, which have emerged from igneous rock melts. The most important deposits are found in Brazil, where recently the relatively inexpensive 'Maraba-Citrin' is mined in Madagascar, Argentina, Myanmar, Namibia, Russia, Scotland, Spain and the USA. With hardness 7 on the 10-part Mohs scale it is relatively resistant to scratches and bumps.
Color donor element are tiny inclusions of iron oxide or iron, causing a pale yellow color. Many Citrine show slight pleochroism, the different shades of green yellow to orange leaves aufschimmern up Brown Orange depending on the viewing angle.
However, Natural Citrine are rare, so most offered today Citrine really are amethyst or smoky quartz, whose yellow color was generated by burning, recognizable by a slight reddish tinge. They are known under trade names such as Madeira citrine, Palmyra citrine, gold, Bahia- or Rio Grande Citrin. However, no matter how their color came into being, the warm yellow and red tones, all reminiscent of the mild glow of a sunny autumn day, are common to all citrines.