A citrine is basically a type of quartz, an abundant earth mineral. Pure quartz is a colourless crystal, although coloured variants are quite common and are often treated as gemstones suitable for jewellery. Of these, quartz ranging in colour from yellow to brown is called citrine, and appears similar to yellow topaz. Citrine gets its warm hue from the presence of iron in it.

The word citrine may be traced back to French, in which the word “citron” stands for lemon. The gemstone gets its name from its warm, citrus yellow hue. Citrines are rare in the natural world, and most of the world's citrine now comes from Brazil.

Like all quartz, several therapeutic and mystical properties are associated with citrines. They are believed to dispel negative energy, and reverse depression and lethargy, and are also said to promote optimism, positivity and accumulation of wealth. Merchants often have a tradition of keeping a citrine in their cash registers for good luck. Because of this, citrines are often called the “merchant's stone”.

Citrine is the traditional birthstone of November. All of this month, CaratLane will be featuring an exclusive collection of rings, earrings and pendants featuring citrines set along side diamonds in stunning patterns. Fresh, fashionable jewellery for the always hot November-borns.

Click here to look at our citrine jewellery collection.

As autumn fades into winter, citrine beautifully captures the last yellows of fall. Brighten your birthday month and warm up the winter ahead with a sunny citrine jewel from CaratLane.

Pink Tourmaline the gemstone for October is said give strength and power to the wearer. Tourmaline is the altnernate birthstone for October Borns. Tourmalines are pyroelectric in nature i.e. if the gem is heated it takes on a static electric charge and starts attracting light-weight objects. This seemingly magical property made the ancients revere the tourmaline.

Also named as "stone of the muse" tourmalines were believed to stimulate the creative powers of their wearer and a gift of this stone were considered to be symbolic of hope. Pink varieties of Tourmaline come in varying shades ranging from pastel pink to ruby red and are mined in Brazil, Afganistan, Burma and India.

The name Tourmaline is derived from the Sinhalese (Language of Sri Lanka) word "tura male" which means "stones of many colours" or "stones of mixed colours". Tourmaline's are aluminum borosilicates. Very minor alterations in chemical formula may create totally different colors. Manganese, and sometimes titanium, are credited with creation of pink colors. Manganese is also responsible for the color of red tourmaline, often called Rubellite.

These "rainbow gemstones" come in every colour of the rainbow and often contain more than one colour. Gem cutters highlight this property by cutting the tourmaline to create bi-coloured of multi-coloured gems.

CaratLane offers a special collection of Pink Tourmaline and Diamond Jewellery that highlight the beauty of this versatile gemstone. Check out the CaratLane Tourmaline Collection at http://www.caratlane.com/birth-stone-of-the-month

Clarity is defined by the presence of inclusions and other internal characteristics within the diamond and blemishes on the surface of the diamond. Most of us in India have heard phrases like "dosham", "daag", etc. when it comes to buying a diamond. All of these phrases refer to the clarity grade of a diamond. This post will discuss Clarity and try to shed some light on this affects the value of a diamond.

The GIA Clarity Grading Scale

The GIA Clarity Grading Scale is the industry standard for grading clarity and the scale goes as follows


FL denotes the most perfect diamond - it has no internal characteristics and external blemishes. FL however is extremely rare. Less than 0.01% of the diamonds in the world are graded as FL

IF means Internally Flawless. A diamond graded as IF has no internal flaws or inclusions when viewed under 10X magnification.

VVS1 & 2 mean Very Very Slightly Included. These diamonds have inclusions that are difficult to spot by a trained gemmologist when viewed under a 10X loupe.

VS1 & 2 mean very slightly included. The minute inclusions in these diamonds can be spotted easily through a 10X loupe by a trained gemmologist

SI1 & 2 are Slightly Included Diamonds. The inclusions in these diamonds are easy to spot under 10x magnification.

I1,2 & 3 - Included Diamonds - the inclusions in these diamonds are visible to the naked eye. Not recommended or sold in CaratLane

Clarity & what it means to the consumer

Clarity is the one C that does not have a significant impact of the beauty of the diamond. It is an invisble characteristic that affects only the value of a diamond and not its beauty. Clarity grades upto to SI are what is termed as "eye clean" which means that the inclusions are not visible to the naked eye. Which mean a F SI1 Excellent Cut diamond will be as beautiful as a F VVS1 Excellent Cut Diamond of the same carat weight but the cost could be significantly lower

If you are particular about "Dosham" or "Daag" it is safe that you buy only a VVS1 or IF grade diamond. You can be sure that these diamonds not have any black inclusions. There is a possibility that you can get a VVS2 diamond without any black inclusion but do not take this call unless you know your jeweller extremely well . It is very unlikely that you would get a VS2 diamond without a black inclusion. Be wary of people who are trying to sell you VS2 diamonds without black inclusions. It is very possible that the black inclusion is under the prong

Clarity gets more relevant as the size of the diamond increases. This is because facets of a larger diamond are larger in size . The size of the inclusions are also larger in a larger diamond. It is therefore more likely that they can be seen.

If you are looking to be buy a step cut diamond (either an Emerald or an Asscher shape) it is preferrable that you stay within VS grade. This is because this cutting style consists of large facets and highlights transperancy over sparkle. They encourage the wearer to looking into the diamond and as a result clarity characteristics are more visible in these shapes.

Coloured Diamonds seem to be ruling the auction circuit again and again... An 8.74 carat blue diamond, the size of a hazelnut fetched 5.7 milllion USD (HK$ 43.8 million). This was the highest price fetched for a fancy blue diamond sold in Asia.

The Emerald Cut , fancy intense blue, VVS1 diamond went to an anonymous phone buyer. About 4 rivals bid on this diamond and within 2 minutes its price went up to 5.7 million.

The other diamond pieces in the top 10 were a round 28.88 carat, D, flawless diamond sold for 4.7 million USD and an 18.71 carat D colour Emerald cut diamond ring that sold for 2.2 million USD. Other highlights included a pair of round, brilliant cut diamond earrings weighing 10.12 carats and 10.65 carats respectively that sold for 1.5 million USD and an 18.08 carat Kashmir Sapphire Ring that sold for $1.5 million

Read on for more details

Diwali is round the corner and what better way to celebrate the festival of lights than with sparkling diamond jewellery. Infact buying or gifting jewellery during Diwali and Dhanteras has more or less become the norm these days.

However shopping during Diwali is also extremely difficult. Crowded street and malls invariably take the pleasure out of shopping. Online Jewellery Shopping at CaratLane.com is perfect for such customers. They can shop for diamond jewellery from the comfort of their home any time of the day or night...

CaratLane.com has also launched a special Diwali Collection - Diamond Rings, Pendants, Earrings, Bangles and Bracelets to celebrate the occasion at prices starting 8,198 onwards

Check out our Diwali Collections at http://www.caratlane.com/diwali-collections