Citrine—Cairngorm Quartz

This is the orange or yellow kind of quartz and is actually rather rare in nature. The citrines you are seeing in the marketplace are quartzes that have been heated—low-grade amethysts or smoky quartzes cooked at high temperatures to make them more valuable in the jewelry stores. You can tell if you try by looking for the more reddish orange shades these faked citrines have. On the other hand, real citrine may have started its natural life as amethyst but then got heated by Mother Nature herself in seismic or volcanic activity. Ametrine, one of my absolute favorite stones, is half amethyst and half citrine.

True citrine is found in France, Brazil, Russia, the United Kingdom, and North America. Citrine is quite often mistaken for topaz, a gem higher in monetary value. There are dealers who have taken advantage of naive collectors and sold them citrine as topaz. Citrine’s sisters in the quartz family are amethyst, the purple color; milky quartz, a cloudy white; rock crystal, the clear variety; rose quartz, a pretty pink; and smoky quartz, which ranges from gray to brown. Citrine, also called cairngorm, is a birthstone for November and helps with stomachaches. It is a crystal that helps to heighten mental clarity and creativity, increase powers of concentration, and overcome a poor memory. Citrine is an aura protector, touching the chakra system and even helping to repair holes in the aura. It opens the sacral and solar plexus chakras and kindles the crown chakra. Citrine is especially wonderful if you wear it as a jewel in rings while you are working and handling your money.

You should keep a chunk of citrine in your place of work because it will allow you to hear and accept constructive criticism. Tradesmen in India kept citrine in their shops and bazaars to attract money and abundance. An immediate feng- shui cure would be to place a cluster of citrine crystals in your wealth corner. Citrine is also terrific to have on hand in your home, as it is a cleanser of the environment as well as the etheric body. Citrine can help maintain equilibrium between the yin and yang energies—the female and male.

Citrine is quite simply an essential to have; it promotes calmness and brings out a feeling of well-being and happiness. Citrine makes anyone want to be more active and is a strong motivator. So, greater success, better health, and more money? Give me citrine anytime! 

Benitoite—California’s Own Gem

The more obscure gems are fascinating. According to the University of California, in Berkley, California, benitoite is found only in California, but in my research, I discovered that it has also been found in part of the American Southwest in Belgium. I’m inclined to go with the word of the esteemed university’s claim that is it a California-only gem; it has, in fact, been California’s state gem since 1907. It was first discovered close to the headwaters of the San Benito River and comes in an array of shades of blue. At first, it was thought to be a form of sapphire due to the lovely, lustrous dark blue in the initial discovery. Interestingly, X-ray findings revealed that the internal structure of the crystal was unlike any other crystal on Earth. Benitoite is also fluorescent, issuing a pale blue glow under ultraviolet light.

This mysterious stone is linked to red-black neptunite, white natrolite, and yellow-brown joaquinite in that all these stones were formed in the cracks of serpentine rock under hydrothermal liquid containing iron, cesium, titanium, barium, and manganese. Specimens such as a beautiful blue benitoite and red-black neptunite embedded in white natrolite are among the rarest on Earth and are found only in the part of California called the San Benito River valley.

With such a rare stone, much remains to be discovered about its properties, but a beneficial effect on the pituitary has been identified, and it is a stone useful to herbalists, botanists, and gardeners.

Atacamite—Venusian Healer

Atacamite is a rare green crystal from the Southern Hemisphere, specifically Australia, Chile, and Central America. As with other uncommon crystals, atacamite is only now being understood for its healing powers and is thought to be of great help to the genitals, thyroid gland, and nerves. Legend has it that it helps with “Venus diseases”—herpes and other STDs.