Free UK Postage Over £80

crystals rocks minerals

Citrine Properties, Facts and Photos

Natural citrine terminated crystal. Positioned upright against a dark background.
Contents

1. What is Citrine?
2. Citrine Facts and History
3. Citrine Healing Properties
4. Article Pictures
5. Shop Citrine

What is Citrine?

Citrine is a yellow variety of the mineral quartz.

Natural citrine is relatively rare so the vast majority of commercial grade material is amethyst that has been heated.

The process tends to take place soon after the stone is mined.  It's usually quite easy to tell natural citrine from heated amethyst.

Material being sold as "citrine" can also be smoky quartz that may or may not have been heat treated.  When heated smoky quartz loses some of its colour which can give it more of a yellow hue. 

Natural citrine also loses its colour when heated but this can be reversed through irradiation.  

Citrine crystals exhibit a vitreous lustre and are transparent to translucent. 

The exact cause of its colour is still not fully understood.  What is known is that trace amounts of aluminium cause some quartz crystals to turn yellow.

The colour of citrine can vary widely from pale yellow, to yellowish orange to orange brown.

Heat treatments are often used to turn low grade or pale coloured citrine in to smoky quartz or lemon quartz.natural citrine tumbled stones

Citrine Facts and History

Citrine is the birthstone for November on the traditional birthstone chart.  On the modern chart it's an alternative for topaz.

Although some coloured varieties of quartz including citrine are often mistaken for topaz, they're different minerals.

The reason for the confusion may be because until fairly recently all translucent brown, orange and yellow coloured gemstones were believed to be topaz.

Even after the discovery that some stones had a different chemical composition it took many years before the correct names started being widely used.

During the first and second centuries AD the Greeks and Romans used citrine for intaglios.  During the Middle Ages it was believed to offer protection against snake venom and evil thoughts.

Historically little is known about citrine because there are few references to it.  This is likely to be because of its rarity.

Like most varieties of quartz citrine grades 7 on Mohs scale of hardness.

When used as a gemstone it tends to be faceted which maximises brilliance.  When cut well its value can increase significantly. 

Deposits of citrine can be found in Madagascar, Spain, Uruguay, on the Isle of Arran in Scotland, the Ural mountains of Russia and the USA.  Currently the world's largest supplier is the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

If citrine is left in direct sunlight the colour will fade albeit very slowly.natural citrine quartz cluster featuring subtle yellow coloured terminated crystals

Citrine Healing Properties

Citrine symbolizes light-heartedness, joy and happiness.  It has a positive influence on business pursuits and interpersonal relationships.

It instils patience, tolerance and acceptance and promotes a greater sense of unity and respect.  This makes it ideal for smoothing out or pacifying family or group problems.

Citrine doesn't accumulate or retain negative energy.  For this reason it doesn't need to be cleansed.

A stone of hope and good fortune, citrine is associated with abundance, success and personal growth. It promotes optimism, creativity and motivation and helps manifest goals and desires. 

The uplifting energy of citrine can help those who struggle with depression, irrational fears and phobias.  When used for meditation it can rekindle good memories from the past.

Wearing or carrying citrine can help overcome difficulty in verbalising thoughts or feelings.

It overcomes fear of responsibility and melts away anger.

Citrine is a stone of empowerment that can be helpful when trying to navigate life's challenges.  It helps you to live each day with renewed confidence, stamina and appreciation.brownish orange citrine tumbled stones in someones hand

Article Pictures

The citrine tumbled stones are from our collection.  They come from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.

The citrine cluster in the last photo is from the Collier Creek Mine, Arkansas, USA.

shop now explore our collection of citrine
Return to Articles and Photos Index black button

New This Week...

customer service icons

Available Right Now
Online Support

Chat on WhatsApp!

Start Chat with