How to identify Citrine

To correctly identify Citrine (Quartz (SiO2) variety Citrine), check each of these features in order. Many rocks and minerals look alike, so cross-reference multiple properties before deciding.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Color

   Overall color and any zoning or banding

   Ranges from pale yellow to golden yellow, orange-yellow, and reddish-brown. Natural citrine tends to be paler, while heat-treated amethyst often exhibits more intense orange to reddish-orange hues, sometimes with a reddish tint at the tips.

2. 2

   Luster

   How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull

   Vitreous (glassy).

3. 3

   Texture

   Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy

   Smooth to conchoidal fracture surfaces when broken. Crystal faces are typically smooth.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Typically forms as hexagonal prisms terminated by rhombohedral faces. Can also be found as massive or granular aggregates. Often found as geode linings or in vugs.

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   None. Quartz exhibits no true cleavage.

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

   Found in igneous rocks (especially granites and pegmatites), metamorphic rocks, and hydrothermal veins. Also occurs in alluvial deposits as detrital grains due to its hardness and resistance to weathering.

Key Facts

Hardness

7 (Mohs scale)

Specific Gravity

2.65 g/cm³

Crystal System

Trigonal

Color

Yellow, golden-yellow, orange-yellow, reddish-brown

Luster

Vitreous

Transparency

Transparent to translucent

Fracture

Conchoidal

Cleavage

None

Composition

Silicon dioxide (SiO2) with trace iron impurities (Fe3+)

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Prismatic, often terminated by rhombohedral faces; also massive, granular, cryptocrystalline (chalcedony variety).
• Cleavage Type: None (absence of cleavage planes)
• Fracture Type: Conchoidal (shell-like, curved fractures)
• Tenacity: Brittle
• Luster Type: Vitreous (glassy)

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