Citrine Sunburst Cluster.

Set it on a windowsill in the morning and it throws small warm patches of light across the paint. Dozens of short points rise together from a single quartz base, each faceted by nature into six clean sides, each capped in a color between honey and old brass.

Shopkeepers have kept citrine near the till for generations under its old working name, the merchant's stone, said to draw steady trade through the door and keep the day's takings honest. Folklore holds that it carries something of the sun's warmth into a room long after sundown, good company through a gray month or a slow season behind the counter.

We will say it plainly: like nearly all citrine on the market, this cluster began as amethyst or smoky quartz and took its golden color under controlled heat, a lapidary practice centuries old. Natural, unheated citrine exists but is rare and pale by comparison; the heat gives a deeper, more consistent yellow, stable under ordinary light.

Details

• Citrine cluster on a single quartz base, heat-treated
• Color between honey and old brass
• Every cluster grows differently, so yours is one of a kind

How to use

Keep it where it can be seen rather than shut in a drawer: a windowsill, a shop counter, any shelf that catches the morning light.

A little sunlight to keep on the counter, whatever the season.