How to identify Citrine

To correctly identify Citrine (SiO2 (Silicon Dioxide)), 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. The color is typically uniform throughout the crystal.

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.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Typically occurs as prismatic hexagonal crystals with pyramidal terminations. Can also be found in massive or granular forms.

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 (especially granites and pegmatites), metamorphic rocks, and hydrothermal veins. Often occurs in geodes and alluvial deposits.

Key Facts

Hardness

7 on the 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)

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Prismatic hexagonal crystals, often terminated by rhombohedral faces; also massive, granular, cryptocrystalline.
• Cleavage Type: None (lacks cleavage)
• Fracture Type: Conchoidal
• Tenacity: Brittle
• Luster Type: Vitreous (glassy)

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