Citrine gemstone

Physical properties of citrine

Characteristics of citrine

Citrine (golden topaz, Spanish topaz) is a very original gemstone.

In fact, citrine is a variety of transparent quartz, however, due to its unique features, it was decided to give the stone a separate name. This was done by the scientist Valerius, giving the mineral the name "citrine", which in Latin means "lemon" ("citreus"). It is clear that the hallmark of citrine is its yellow (lemon) color.

And yet the natural color of the citrine stone is quite pale. Shades of citrines range from light yellow to almost amber. In some ways, citrines are similar to topazes, as a result of which some citrines are also called topazes (for example, golden topaz is a golden-yellow variety of citrines, and Spanish topaz is characterized by a brown-yellow color). There is also a special variety of citrine and amethyst - ametrine.

Now, though, heat-treated smoky quartz is often sold instead of real citrines. These artificial citrines are brighter than real ones and have a rich yellow color with a reddish tint.

Genuine gem-quality citrines (transparent, bright saturated color) and without defects are very rare. But these stones are not high in price, and faceted citrines beautifully shimmer in the light with various shades of yellow.