
BIDDINGTON'S DESIGNER & Vintage Jewelry Gallery BIDDINGTON'S Index to Content
citrine
pronounced:
(see treen)
The name comes from the old French word for lemon,
citrin.
What is it?
Citrine is a yellow, semiprecious variety of quartz
resembling topaz. Citrine and topaz
are the birthstones of the month of November. Natural
citrine is quite rare; most is
created by heat treatment. Amethyst can be treated to
change it to citrine.
Are there any color variations?
Along with the basic orange-yellow citrine is the
dark orange red to vivid pumpkin madeira
citrine that are both found worldwide. The champagne
citrine, a brownish-yellow stone and
the lemon yellow, actually a greenish-yellow are
mined in Brazil. Citrines should be
protected from strong light and heat due to this
being the nature of their conception.
How is it used?
The citrine is widely used in jewelry due to its
availability, affordability, and
durability. Ur-fashionable jewelry designer Verdura included citrine in his inventive and glamorous designs of the 1940s-1960's. In the Late Victorian era
citrine was often set with other
semiprecious stones such as bloodstones, carnelian &
garnets. In ancient times, citrine
was believed to ward off evil thoughts and was
carried as protection against snake venom.
--Biddington's guest editor Lynn Romano
View
BIDDINGTON'S FINE ART & JEWELRY GALLERIES
More PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE:
P&P: Abstract Expressionism
P&P: Arte Povera
P&P: Ash Can School
P&P: bronze patina
P&P: citrine
P&P: Colorfield painting
P&P: Greek columns
P&P: Conceptual Art
P&P: coromandel
P&P: depression glass
P&P: enamel
P&P: encaustic
P&P: etching
P&P: faux
P&P: foreshortening
P&P: gouache
P&P: Iconography & Iconology
P&P: New Image painting
P&P: Newcomb pottery
P&P: parfleche
P&P: Pop Art
P&P: porcelain
P&P: realism
P&P: Senufo
P&P: Surrealism
P&P: turquoise
ABOUT THIS FEATURE
In the art & antiques world, experts bandy about arcane words as though they were part of everyone's standard vocabulary. To a fledgling collector, this practice can be maddening. In PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE, BIDDINGTON'S picks a word or phrase and gives it a good, hard going over: defining it, explaining it and showing how to use it. Glance regularly at PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE, and soon you'll be able to toss those obscure phrases back at the experts with confidence and agility and be fully prepared to purchase works and to bid on items at BIDDINGTON'S upmarket, online art gallery & antiques auctions.
Contact Biddington's
COPYRIGHT: Images and information within www.biddingtons.com are Copyright Biddington's, Inc. 1997-2005--except where superceded by individual copyrights of the artists.
Downloading or printing for online or print reproduction of any materials without specific written permission from Biddington's, Inc. is prohibited.
JAKE BIDDINGTON'S INVESTING--advice on art collecting.
BIDDINGTON'S BENTLEY--travel for the art & antiques connoisseur. CREATIVE PROCESS--artists' studio visits.
ASK Mrs. BIDDINGTON--conservation of art & fine objects. MY ART--Art for kids.
BIDDINGTON'S--Home & Search