How to identify Citrine

To correctly identify Citrine (SiO2 (variety of Quartz)), 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 have a paler, more muted yellow color, while heat-treated amethyst often exhibits a more intense orange to reddish-orange hue, sometimes with reddish flashes.

2. 2

   Luster

   How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull

   Vitreous (glassy) on crystal faces and fracture surfaces.

3. 3

   Texture

   Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy

   Smooth to slightly uneven on fracture surfaces; 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, granular, or cryptocrystalline aggregates. Often occurs in geodes or as drusy coatings.

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   None. Quartz exhibits conchoidal fracture.

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

   Found in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary environments. Specifically, it occurs in hydrothermal veins, pegmatites, granitic rocks, and alluvial deposits. Geodes lined with quartz crystals, including citrine, are common in volcanic rocks.

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

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Prismatic, often terminated by rhombohedra; also massive, granular, cryptocrystalline.
• Cleavage Type: Absent (no cleavage)
• Fracture Type: Conchoidal (shell-like, curved fractures)
• Tenacity: Brittle
• Luster Type: Vitreous (glassy)

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