difference between real citrine and heat treated amethyst

The term ‘citrine’ was used by the German mineralogist Georg Bauer in his seminal publication De Natura Fossilium in 1546: “There is another variety of quartz (.), and when turned towards the light, it has a colour as yellow as citron. One of the rarest of all the macrocrystalline varieties is natural yellow citrine. There are, however, many types of coloured quartz, each bearing a different name depending on their colour: amethyst (purple), smoky quartz (brown), and prasiolite (green). Quartz, when colourless, is called rock crystal.

It comes in many varieties some quartzes are single crystals (macrocrystalline), and others are aggregates of crystal grains (polycrystalline). Quartz (silicon dioxide) is the second most abundant mineral on the Earth’s lithosphere after feldspar. Here, we explore the causes of colour in rare natural citrine, its properties, localities, and the testing methodologies gemmologists can use to pinpoint this quartz variety in the field. Heliodor ( Beryl) - Harder (7½ - 8), crystals are usually different (more elongated and perfect hexagons).Although citrine gemstones are abundant in jewellery, it’s unusual to find natural yellow citrine on the market. Topaz - Harder (8), has perfect cleavage, different crystal formation.Ĭhrysoberyl - Harder (8½), different crystal formation.Īpatite - Softer (5), crystal terminations usually differ from Citrine.įluorite - Much softer (4), different crystal formation. In Boekenhoutshoek (Magaliesberg), Mkobola district, South Africa, a unique form of natural Citrine is found together with Amethyst that has a spiky overgrowth of small crystals popularly called 'Cactus Quartz'. Other locations where natural Citrine is found is San Cristobal, Santander, Colombia Lubumbashi in Katanga (Shaba), Congo (Zaire) Antananarivo Province, Madagascar Salamanca, Spain and Dauphine, France. Most commercial gem-grade material comes from Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais, Brazil, but almost all of the Brazilian material is heat treated Amethyst.Ī classic exhausted locality for natural Citrine is Olkhovka in the Northern Ural Mountains, Russia. Natural Citrine is not common and occurs sparingly in many large Quartz deposits. Citrine is also popular among mineral collectors, and small pieces and drusy plates are often sold to amateur collectors in gift shops. Gems are faceted for jewelry, and it is often used as an inexpensive substitute for Topaz. Yellow, yellow-brown, orange, dark orange-brown, reddish-brownĬitrine is known mainly for its use as a gemstone. Sometimes Citrine has a 'smoky' hue to it, and can be borderlined between Citrine and Smoky Quartz, with either definition being correct.įor additional information, see the gemstone section on Citrine. Natural light yellow Citrine is often called 'Lemon Quartz' on the gemstone market. Virtually all heat-treated material has a reddish tint, whereas the natural specimensĭo not. Natural Citrine, which is rare, is yellow to orange-yellow, and occurs in much lighter hues than the heat-treated material, which is dark orange-brown to reddish-brown.

In some Amethyst deposits, the Amethyst has been partially or fullyĬhanged over to yellow Citrine by natural means of heating. Citrine may also be produced by heat-treating Smoky Quartz from certain Most Citrine is formed by heat treating purple Amethyst. It is a widely used as a gemstone, and after Amethyst it is the most popular Quartz gem. Citrine is the yellow to brownish-red variety of the mineral Quartz.

Difference between real citrine and heat treated amethyst