Natural Citrine Stone - GIA

Maybe your like

Back to gem encyclopedia Citrine

Citrine is the transparent, pale yellow to brownish orange variety of quartz.

Size

Fashioned citrines can be large. This one weighs almost twenty carats.

Eye-clean

The lack of eye-visible inclusions is a sought-after citrine quality.

Zoning

Yellow, reddish orange, and brown color zoning highlight this citrine.

Reddish orange

This attractive reddish orange color is popular with consumers.

Large crystals

This 65.50-carat rough will yield a significant faceted gem.

Termination

This citrine crystal terminates in a well-shaped point.

See gem as
Polished
Rough

Tools

Overview
Buyer's Guide
Photos & Videos
Research

Overview

About Citrine

View Gallery About Citrine

Citrine is rare in nature. In the days before modern gemology, its tawny color caused it to be confused with topaz. Today, its attractive color, plus the durability and affordability it shares with most other quartzes, makes it the top-selling yellow-to-orange gem. In the contemporary market, citrine’s most popular shade is an earthy, deep, brownish or reddish orange.

Citrine Description

Citrine History and Lore

Birthstones & Anniversaries

Along with topaz, citrine is a birthstone for November. It’s also recognized as the gem that commemorates the thirteenth anniversary.

Iron

A trace of iron in citrine’s structure is responsible for its yellow-to-orange color.

Heat

Natural citrine is rare. Most citrine on the market is the result of heat treatment of amethyst.

Facts

Mineral: Quartz
Chemical composition: SiO2
Color: Yellow to orange to orangy red
Refractive index: 1.544 to 1.553
Specific gravity: 2.66 (+0.03/-0.02)
Mohs hardness: 7

Treatments

There are a number of processes used to alter the color, apparent clarity, or improve the durability of gems.

Learn More

Synthetics

Some gemstones have synthetic counterparts that have essentially the same chemical, physical, and optical properties, but are grown by man in a laboratory.

Learn More