mineral

Citrine Quartz

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) with iron impurities

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Yellow to honey-brown; Luster: Vitreous; Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal); Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: 2.65

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale
Color: Yellow to honey-brown
Luster: Vitreous

Identified April 13, 2026More mineral →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Yellow to honey-brown; Luster: Vitreous; Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal); Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: 2.65

Formation & geological history

Formed in igneous environments (pegmatites) or hydrothermal veins. Natural citrine is rare and often forms when amethyst or smoky quartz is naturally heated by geothermal heat.

Uses & applications

Primarily used in jewelry as a gemstone, as well as by collectors and in metaphysical practices.

Geological facts

Natural citrine is quite rare; most 'commercial' citrine is actually heat-treated amethyst or smoky quartz which turns yellow-orange when baked in a kiln.

Field identification & locations

Identify in the field by its hardness (scratches glass), glass-like luster, and absence of cleavage planes. Found in major quartz deposits in Brazil, Madagascar, and Russia.

Other mineral specimens

See all

Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)

Arenite (SiO2 based)

sedimentary

Schist

Metamorphic

Epidote

Epidote | Ca2(Al2,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)

metamorphic

Nephrite Jade

Nephrite

Mineral/Rock

Banded Gneiss (River Rock/Pebble)

Gneiss (specifically a banded variety often found as a river rock)

Metamorphic Rock

Green Apatite on Albite

Fluorapatite [Ca5(PO4)3F] on Albite [Na(AlSi3O8)]

mineral