Like citrine, smoky quartz exhibits dichroism in polarized light. However, not all dark quartz is smoky quartz. It can range from a light smoky hue to intense, almost brown/black color. Smoky quartz is typically found in pockets around igneous rocks. It can be obtained either naturally or artificially. It also has two varieties: Morion and Cairngorm. ![]() It’s easy to guess why the smoky quartz was given this name the color ranges from brown to black, giving the vague impression that there’s smoke inside the mineral. It can be hard to tell apart citrine from heated amethyst the best way to differentiate (though it is not often readily available) is to look at the crystals in polarized light: citrine is dichroic in polarized light (it absorbs different polarizations in different ways) while amethyst is not. In fact, many sellers heat amethyst at high temperatures until it turns yellow, and they sell it as citrine. Also like in amethyst, the exact cause for the yellow hue is still debated.ĭespite being less popular than amethyst, citrine is actually much rarer. In more recent times, it was considered to bring good fortune for merchants, and several superstitions are tied to it. Citrine – yellow quartz Photo via Pixabay.Ĭitrine is the yellow variety of quartz ( citrium means lemon in Latin), and can be formed by two different mechanisms: in the ferric variety, iron or iron oxide absorbs radiation (from ultraviolet to blue), and the second mechanism, although the specifics are still unclear, is known to be caused by aluminum, lithium or hydrogen inclusions.Ĭitrine was also mentioned in Ancient Greece, where it was used as a gemstone, though it was not as sought after as amethyst. Still, this type of quartz remains a favorite of many, and it’s not hard to understand why. But many large mines have been found ever since, especially in Brazil, South Korea, and Austria. Up until around 300 years ago, amethyst was held in the highest regard among gemstone enthusiasts, alongside diamonds and rubies. Soe artificial amethysts feature impurities or a lack of clarity, and their color also tends to be uniform - while natural amethyst has variable color Amethyst can also be grown synthetically, and the end result is close to indistinguishable from the real thing. Amethyst can fade in tone if overexposed to light, and it can also artificially darkened with adequate irradiation - some sellers use this to make crystals more appealing. The color range of amethyst range from soft lavender to a deep purple. Ancient Egyptians and Romans also used amethyst as a gemstone. In fact, the Greek word “amethystos” may be translated as “not drunken”, from Greek a– (a prefix for ‘not’) and methustos (intoxicated). There are references to ancient Greeks and Romans believing that it prevented you from becoming intoxicated (they even made drinking vessels with it). ![]() Perhaps the most striking representative of the quartz ‘family’, amethyst has been admired for millennia. ![]() Amethyst - purple quartz Amethyst is perhaps the most well-known quartz variety. We won’t be focusing on the practical and geological uses of this amazing mineral (quartz is crucial to the computer industry!) and instead, we’ll focus on the aesthetics of its natural varieties. That’s how you can end up with quartz colored in violet, yellow, or even smoky hues. Quartz itself is colorless and transparent (or translucent, to be precise), but it frequently has impurities that make it more colorful.
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