Background!
Citrine has been a popular stone since ancient times and it was first recorded in English in 1385. Citrine first found its appreciation in Ancient Greece where it was used as a decorative gem. It was believed that Citrine would protect against evil thoughts and bring prosperity to the individuals who held the stone. Citrine is also said to calm tempers, instill happiness and manifest desires.
Geology Information!
Good quality Citrine comes from Minas Gerais Brazil but this stone can also be found in Russia and Madagascar. Its chemical composition is SiO2 and it has a hardness of 7. Along with the trace amounts of iron within the Citrine, the earth naturally irradiates this stone giving it such a distinct and beautiful color. Citrine is a very rare stone and if you don’t know what you’re looking for it can be easy to buy a fake piece.
Natural Citrine or heat-treated Amethyst?
Since Citrine is such a rare crystal (and expensive too) it can be easy to get sold something that has been improperly labeled. For starters, Natural Citrine
- Is going to have a very uniform color of a very pale yellow to a darker brown (seen in smoky Citrine).
- It will also be transparent and won’t contain any bubbles like those that you see in man made crystals.
Natural Citrine won’t be a bright yellow or orange color and it also won’t include any white/clear sections along with the yellow. Something that I see quite frequently being marketed as Natural Citrine is a stone called Lemon Quartz. This is a very neon yellow stone that doesn’t resemble a piece of Natural Brazilian Citrine. When considering a Citrine purchase, look at the
-color
-color zoning
-transparency
-price
You should also be shopping with a trusted seller who can provide the locality (big red flag if they can’t). For raw Citrine, 99% of what’s on the market is just heat-treated amethyst. These are amethyst pieces that have been irradiated (heated up) by humans to resemble Citrine. Dead giveaways for these are a druzy dark yellow to brown crystal on a white quartz matrix. These are not fully natural and are not Citrine. I encourage you to be careful and cautious about Citrine on the market and always ask questions! If the color is bright yellow/orange it’s fake.
Fun Facts!
-The birthstone for the month of November is Citrine.
-Citrine is a Quartz crystal.
-Citrine, Pyrite and Green Aventurine are an amazing combination for wealth and prosperity.
-Ametrine is a mix of natural Citrine and Amethyst.
1 comment
I love this blog!! You did such a great job of describing the real thing versus fake. People will be very appreciative to have this information. Nice work!