FINE JEWELLERY, WATCHES, SILVER & COINS 20th November 2024 at 12pm

Lot 24 Lot 56 6 Both citrine and topaz are the bir thstone for those with November bir thdays. Before modern gemmology, the two gemstones would often be confused with each other, even though quar tz (citrine) and topaz are unrelated.This is because both stones can appear in yellow hues and can look extremely similar to the untrained eye. Citrine was a term used to refer to all yellow gemstones from 1385, and citrine itself was identified as ‘gold topaz’ or ‘Spanish’ topaz. In 1556, citrine stopped being referred to generically and was finally officially identified as such.The most common suggestion as to the naming of the stone is that it sounds like the French word for lemon, citron. It is rare to find citrine in nature, and most stones found being sold are often heat-treated forms on amethyst. In Scotland in the 17th century, warriors used citrine on the handles of their swords for decoration; and there is even evidence of some swords having citrine make up the entire handle. During the early 20th century, movie stars wore oversized citrine stones as statement jewellery pieces, par ticularly Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford. NOVEMBER B I RTHSTONES & TOPAZ CITRINE LIVE AUCTION OF FINE JEWELLERY, WATCHES, SILVER & COINS • WEDNESDAY, 20th NOVEMBER 2024 AT 12PM