|
Citrine, Amethyst & Ametrine
Information
CITRINE
Citrine is yellow or orange quartz. Most citrine is
heat-treated amethyst or smoky quartz. Natural-colour citrine is
rare and is usually pale yellow. Its name is derived from the
French word for lemon – citron.
AMETHYST
(Purple or violet quartz): The most expensive colour is an
intense, deep, evenly-coloured purple with flashes of red under
incandescent light, and the least costly is pale lavender.
High-clarity amethyst is readily available at low prices. Four major
sources are Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia and Zambia. A lot of synthetic
amethyst citrine and other colours of synthetic quartz are made in
Japan and especially in Russia. Some amethyst is heated to lighten
its colour or to transform it into citrine and sometimes green
quartz. Green and yellow quartz can be irradiated to produce
amethyst. Amethyst may fade from heat treatment or long exposure to
sunlight.
AMETRINE
Ametrine is essentially purple and yellow zoned quartz.
Therefore, it is a combination of both amethyst and citrine, hence
the name “Ame – trine”. Ametrine is mined in Bolivial and has only
been available since the late 1980’s.
| RI: 1.544-1.553 |
SG:
2.64-2.66 |
Hardness:
7 |
Toughness:
Good |
| Treatments:
Citrine is usually heated; amethyst, ametrine are
sometimes heated |
| Care Tips:
Ultrasonic cleaners are usually safe but use caution.
Avoid acids, alalies, steamers and strong heat |
Value:
Citrine – Up to $60 USD per carat dependent upon size and
quality (Newman, 2006).
Ametrine – Up to $40 USD per carat dependent upon size and
quality (Newman, 2006)
Amethyst - Up to $90 USD per carat dependent upon size and
quality (Newman, 2006) |
Citrine, Amethyst & Ametrine can be
securely purchased on this
web site at bargain prices
|
