Citrine is the yellow to orange variety of quartz. Natural citrine is fairly rare, and most citrine sold in jewelry is amethyst or smoky quartz that has been heated to turn it yellow or orange. It is durable, affordable in large sizes, and one of the two modern birthstones for November.
What citrine is
Citrine is silicon dioxide, the same mineral as amethyst, rock crystal and smoky quartz. Its name comes from the French citron, meaning lemon. Iron in the crystal gives the color. Small amounts of iron in certain sites, without the radiation damage that turns quartz purple, produce tones from pale lemon through golden yellow to deep reddish orange.
Like all quartz, citrine has a Mohs hardness of 7, a refractive index of about 1.544 to 1.553 and a specific gravity of 2.65. It forms in the trigonal crystal system and breaks with a conchoidal fracture. Faceted citrine is usually eye-clean, with few visible inclusions, so it is easy to find large, bright stones at moderate prices.
Most citrine is heated amethyst
Amethyst gets its purple from color centers built around iron. Heat removes those centers. When amethyst is heated, typically to somewhere around 400 to 500 degrees Celsius depending on the material, the purple disappears and the iron left behind gives yellow, orange or reddish brown color. Large amounts of amethyst from Brazil are treated this way, and the result is sold as citrine. Some smoky quartz also turns yellow when heated.
The color of heated citrine is stable in normal wear. The treatment is permanent and widely accepted, but it should be disclosed. The gemstone treatments explained page covers disclosure norms for heating across gem types.
There is one more route to yellow quartz. Irradiating some colorless quartz produces a greenish yellow color, often sold as "lemon quartz." Some of this material can fade in light.
Natural citrine
Citrine that formed yellow in the ground does exist. Historic and modern sources include Brazil, Bolivia, Madagascar, Russia's Ural Mountains, Spain and parts of Africa. Natural citrine tends to be pale yellow to golden, often with a slight smoky tint, and it is rarely the deep orange that heat produces.
Telling natural from heated citrine is not always easy. Some clues help:
- Heated amethyst often keeps reddish or orange tones and a faint pattern of angular color zones left over from the amethyst's banding.
- Geode pieces of "citrine" that are white at the base and dark orange at the tips are almost always heated amethyst clusters. Natural quartz crystals do not color this way.
- Natural citrine often shows weak dichroism, two slightly different yellows through a dichroscope. Citrine made from amethyst usually shows little or none.
For an expensive stone, a gem lab gives the firmest answer, and some stones remain uncertain even then.
Madeira citrine and other color names
Traders grade citrine by color, and some names have stuck:
- Madeira citrine describes deep reddish orange to brownish red, named after the color of Madeira wine. Most of it is heated.
- Golden or honey citrine covers medium yellow to orange tones, often the most popular commercial color.
- Lemon or pale citrine describes light yellow stones.
The best color is a saturated yellow to orange with no brown. Deep Madeira tones once sold at a premium. Tastes shift, and bright golden stones now draw just as much demand.
Citrine and topaz confusion
For centuries, "topaz" was used for almost any yellow or brown gem, and citrine was often sold under that name. Terms like "citrine topaz," "Madeira topaz" and "gold topaz" still appear and are misleading, because topaz is a different mineral. Smoky quartz has also been called "smoky topaz."
The two can look alike, but topaz is harder (Mohs 8), denser (about 3.5 compared with 2.65) and has higher refractive indices. A refractometer separates them in seconds. The how to identify gemstones guide explains these tests.
November birthstone
Topaz was the only November stone on the 1912 American birthstone list. In 1952 the Jewelry Industry Council added citrine as an alternative, in part because it offered a warm yellow stone at a lower price. Both stones appear on the current birthstones by month chart. Citrine is also a traditional gift for the thirteenth wedding anniversary in some lists.
In folklore, citrine has been called a "merchant's stone," and some traditions linked it with prosperity. These are beliefs, not properties, and the gemstone meanings and folklore page collects similar traditions. Citrine was popular in Scottish jewelry of the Victorian period, where yellow quartz was set into brooches and dirk handles.
Wearing and caring for citrine
Citrine is tough enough for rings, earrings and pendants. Its hardness of 7 means household dust, which is mostly quartz, will not easily scratch it, though the facet edges can wear over many years. It has no cleavage, so it resists breaking from light knocks.
Heated citrine is stable in light. Some natural and irradiated yellow quartz can fade with long exposure to strong sun. Avoid sudden temperature changes, which can crack quartz with inclusions. Clean citrine with warm water, mild soap and a soft brush. Ultrasonic cleaning is usually fine for eye-clean stones but best avoided for stones with fractures. Steam is not recommended. See the full jewelry cleaning guide for more.
Frequently asked questions
Is all citrine heat treated?
Most citrine on the market is heated amethyst or smoky quartz. Natural citrine exists but is less common and usually paler in color.
How can I tell if citrine is real?
A refractometer and specific gravity test confirm quartz. Separating natural from heated citrine is harder and may need a lab, though reddish tones and banding suggest heat.
Does citrine fade?
Heated citrine is stable in normal wear. Some natural and irradiated yellow quartz can fade if left in strong sunlight for long periods.
Is citrine the same as topaz?
No. They are different minerals that can share a yellow color. Topaz is harder and denser, and a gemologist can separate them with simple tests.