How to identify Citrine

To correctly identify Citrine (Quartz (SiO2) variety), 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 brownish-orange. Natural citrine tends to be paler, while heat-treated amethyst often exhibits more intense orange or reddish-orange tones, sometimes with a reddish tint at the tips of crystals.

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. Crystalline texture when observed in aggregates or as individual crystals.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Typically forms as prismatic hexagonal crystals with pyramidal terminations. Can also be found as massive or granular aggregates. Often twinned (Dauphin, Brazil, Japan twins).

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   None. Quartz lacks cleavage.

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

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

Key Facts

Hardness

7 on the Mohs scale

Specific Gravity

2.65 g/cm

Crystal System

Trigonal

Color

Yellow, golden yellow, orange-yellow, brownish-orange

Luster

Vitreous

Transparency

Transparent to translucent

Fracture

Conchoidal

Cleavage

None

Composition

Silicon dioxide (SiO2)

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Prismatic hexagonal crystals with pyramidal terminations, massive, granular
• Cleavage Type: None
• Fracture Type: Conchoidal
• Tenacity: Brittle
• Luster Type: Vitreous

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