Lemon Quartz
Lemon quartz, also known as Oro Verde Quartz, is a member of the quartz family, a silicon dioxide mineral with a hardness of 7 onto the Moh’s scale. Its yellow color comes from the inclusion of iron in the quartz. The lemon quartz sometimes also called “Oro Verde” has an intense lemon yellow color with a very slight tip of green giving it a nice tangy hue.
This color of quartz does not exist in nature and is always obtained by a harmless and permanent treatment which guarantees to the stone the persistence of the color obtained. Only a few amethysts, quartz, and citrine from Brazil alone are suitable for this treatment and are likely to become Lemon quartz. The stone undergoes gamma irradiation and is then heated to obtain this much-appreciated color.
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Deposits of natural citrine are found in Brazil, Africa, Madagascar, Spain, Russia, France, Scotland, and the USA. The amethyst and yellow quartz mined to create lemon quartz primarily come from Brazil, although deposits of heatable amethyst have also been found in Arizona. Although it is rare, lemon quartz has been found to display a cat’s eye chatoyancy. A shimmering variety that exhibits asterism is traded as ‘star lemon quartz’.
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Quartz is said to help structure, focus, and amplify thoughts and information. It is also thought to transmit energy. Because the color yellow is associated with clarity, communication, and happiness, lemon quartz is believed to help balance and strengthen these aspects.
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