Citrine, Meaning, Properties, and Facts

What is citrine

Citrine is the yellow to orange variety of quartz, named from the French word citron, lemon. Natural citrine is uncommon and usually pale yellow to honey, and it can shade toward smoky quartz. Most citrine on the market is amethyst heated to a few hundred degrees Celsius, which turns the purple to yellow, orange or reddish brown. Ametrine, from Bolivia, is natural amethyst and citrine in one crystal.

Citrine properties

Citrine properties are standard quartz values, natural or heated (gem data on GIA's citrine page):

Where citrine is found

Citrine is found naturally in Brazil, Bolivia, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, often as pale or smoky crystals. Bolivia's Anahí mine is the classic source of ametrine. Heated citrine starts life as amethyst from the big geode mines of southern Brazil and Uruguay, which is why so many citrine clusters look like amethyst geodes in the wrong color.

Natural vs heat-treated citrine

Natural and heat-treated citrine are the same mineral, but the color sits differently. Natural citrine tends toward pale yellow, honey or smoky gold, with color through the whole crystal. Heated amethyst turns deep orange or reddish at the tips and fades to an opaque white base, because the purple was concentrated at the tips before heating. Heat treatment is standard in the trade, and the problem is only when it goes unlabeled.

How to tell if citrine is real

How to tell if citrine is real starts with the cluster test: bright orange points on an opaque white base are heat-treated amethyst. Natural citrine is rarely that orange and is rarely sold as big geode clusters. Cut gems are harder to judge, and a gem lab is the only sure answer. Glass and dyed quartz imitations exist too. Full tests are in real vs fake citrine.

Citrine care: water and sun

Citrine care starts with water, which will not hurt it, and mild soap and a soft brush clean it safely. Light is the caution. Natural citrine can pale after long, direct sun, while heat-treated citrine is generally more stable, but neither belongs on a hot windowsill. See crystals that fade in the sun.

Citrine price and value

Citrine price and value depend on color first: saturated golden to reddish orange gems cost the most, and natural color adds value when a lab confirms it. Pale or brownish stones sell for less. For crystals and clusters, natural color, sharp undamaged points and a known locality matter, and heated clusters are priced as the treated stones they are.

Citrine meaning and benefits

Citrine meaning and benefits, in crystal lore, are money and success, which is why shops call it the merchant's stone. That is belief, not chemistry. The history is real: citrine and topaz were long confused, and citrine was sold under misleading names such as gold topaz. Today citrine shares the November birthstone spot with topaz.

Citrine for sale

Citrine for sale at geoslut arrives in drops of one-of-one pieces, each photographed in daylight and labeled with its mineral and locality, and the list hears first.

Citrine FAQ

Is citrine water safe?

Citrine is water safe: it is 7 on the Mohs scale and will not dissolve or soften.

Can citrine fade in the sun?

Citrine can fade in the sun after long exposure, natural citrine most of all, so keep it out of bright windows.

Is most citrine heated amethyst?

Most citrine on the market is heated amethyst, especially bright orange clusters on white bases.

Is citrine expensive?

Citrine is not expensive next to most yellow gems, though fine natural citrine with strong color costs more than heated stones.

What is the November birthstone?

The November birthstone is citrine, shared with topaz.

Sources

• Citrine, GIA
• Citrine, Wikipedia
• Quartz, Mindat