Easily recognizable by its bright yellow color, this inexpensive gem makes beautiful and eye-catching jewelry. The ideal color for citrine is a rich brownish orange with translucency, similar to amber. The most important commercial sources of natural yellow to orange citrine are pegmatites from eastern Brazil.

Citrine, also called the Merchant’s Stone, is a semi-precious stone that is associated with positivity and wealth attraction. People who keep citrine nearby have reported experiencing better luck and improved health and wellness while it was nearby.

The vast majority of citrines on the market are made by heating smoky crystals (producing light to medium yellow shades) and amethysts (producing more intense yellow and orange-red to orange-brown shades). The conversion of natural smoky and amethyst to citrine by heat treatment usually occurs in mines.

Many Citrines Are Artificially Made

Colorless quartz stone is also irradiated and heated to produce “Lemon Quartz,” a neon yellow stone with a greenish tinge. When amethyst undergoes various heat treatments, its color can be processed to the golden color of citrine.

Natural citrines are very rare and usually light in shades, so it has become common practice to heat amethyst to create a durable tawny citrine. Some light-colored amethysts have also been found to be heated to produce an attractive citrine color.

However, most citrine in the gemstone market is produced by heat-treating gemstones such as amethyst and smoky quartz. Therefore, the less expensive smoky and amethyst are often heat-treated to look like citrine. This rarely happens in nature, so most citrine is produced by heat-treating other varieties of quartz, usually amethyst or smoky, which are more common and less expensive.

Most commercial citrines on the market are heat-treated amethyst or smoky crystals that produce enhanced citrine colors, usually deeper amber or reddish-orange. Commercial citrine is relatively inexpensive because the gemstone is most likely heat-treated amethyst or quartz.

Citrine Is a Fairly Affordable Stone

Since quartz is the second most abundant mineral on Earth, citrine’s relatively low price per carat makes it an affordable stone for larger items. Citrine is fairly easy to find, relatively inexpensive, and available in a variety of shapes and sizes, including oversized, making it suitable for large pendants and fashion jewelry.

Its attractive color, high clarity, low price and durability make it the most commonly purchased yellow to orange stone. Today, the beautiful color, availability, durability, and affordability of citrines make them the most popular yellow to orange colored gemstones.

Paired with diamonds or other colorless gemstones, citrine takes center stage and enhances its beautiful color. Citrine is a gorgeous variety of clear crystalline quartz, ranging from pale yellow to red-orange, yellow-orange to brownish-orange. The citrine stone is a member of the yellow to reddish orange crystalline quartz family.

The Origins of Citrine

Citrine is a yellow quartz that takes its name from the Old French for lemon. The name citrine comes from the French word for lemon, although these crystals are more commonly found in red or orange rather than yellow. The word citrine comes from the French cedar, which means lemon, although the stone is not lemon yellow.

This stone is more closely related to citrine than you might think. A combination of amethyst and citrine, it is a unique gemstone with a multi-colored yellow-purple hue. It belongs to a variety of quartz ranging in color from pale yellow to dark brown. Citrine is a yellow quartz stone that has been around for thousands of years.

They are very rare but form in the same way as quartz stones, as they are part of the quartz family. Natural citrine is a variety of yellow, orange, and brown colored quartz. Citrine crystals are typically yellow, tan, orange, dark orange brown, and reddish brown. Citrine is a transparent yellow to orange variety of quartz.

How Citrine Acquires Its Unique Character

It gets its color from trace amounts of iron in quartz and ranges in color from pale yellow to bright amber. Bright and vibrant, this stone is actually a special kind of quartz, but with a yellow tinge. Citrine’s color comes from the presence of iron during the formation of quartz.

More yellow citrine can be very valuable as it resembles a yellow diamond or topaz. Brazilian citrines tend to be more valuable because these gems have a deep reddish-orange color and are in high demand. Natural citrine shades with deep yellow-orange are more expensive than lighter shades.

This crystal is generally non-polluting, so there is no need to wash it after every wear or use. You can still clean it if you feel it needs charging, especially if it’s been exposed to a lot of energy in a short period of time. When cleaning citrine crystals, you can use any jewelry cleaner or just mild soap and warm water and an old soft-bristled toothbrush.

How to Recognize True Citrines

Look for clear citrines for the eyes with no noticeable inclusions that will be visible due to the light color of the citrines. Most natural citrines are light yellow in color, but with a relatively low temperature change, processed stones can take on a golden yellow color.

The most sought-after citrines range in color from light, radiant yellow to brownish red, but this is especially rare in natural citrine. Citrine is a semi-precious stone valued for its yellow to brownish color and resemblance to the rarer topaz.

Citrine gemstones cut to maximize their brilliance and color are more expensive, as are gemstones without blemishes or inclusions. Topaz, smoky quartz and tourmaline are other gemstones that go easily with yellow citrine. Slightly colored yellow citrine occurs naturally, but is rare; the intense yellow form is usually irradiated and is marketed under the trade name “Lemon Quartz”.

Citrine is a very cheap gemstone, available in all color ranges.

The Color Range of Citrines

The colors of citrines range from yellow to yellow-orange, to yellowish-orange, to brownish-orange. Citrine typically has a hexagonal crystal system and in its natural form has a cloudy or smoky appearance. The highest quality citrine has a rich golden hue with a fiery orange glow inside.

The orange hue of citrine makes it a good alternative to more expensive yellow diamonds or yellow sapphires, providing an affordable alternative. Jewelry designers today also like to place citrine in yellow gold, alone or in combination with amethyst, blue topaz or peridot.

Heat-treated citrine is heat-treated amethyst, a purple-colored quartz. This citrine water bottle is made of glass and stainless steel, and you can remove the crystal when it needs to be cleaned separately.