Citrine
Variety of quartz
Common · SiO₂
Yellow quartz coloured by iron and by aluminium-related colour centres. Natural citrine is rare; most commercial stones are heated amethyst or smoky quartz, whose colour then comes from tiny iron oxide particles. Forms in granitic pegmatites and hydrothermal quartz veins.
Identity
- Formula
- SiO₂
- Chemical class
- Silicate
- Mineral group
- Agate, Amethyst, Bloodstone, Carnelian, Chalcedony, Jasper, Moss Agate, Onyx, Quartz, Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz, Tiger's Eye
- Also known as
- Yellow quartz, Topaz quartz (misnomer)
Crystallography
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Habits
- Prismatic, Massive
- Fracture
- Conchoidal
Physical properties
- Mohs hardness
- 7
- Density
- 2.65 g/cm³
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Colors
- yellow, orange-yellow, brownish yellow
- Streak
- white
- Transparency
- Transparent, Translucent
Geology
- Origins
- Hydrothermal, Igneous
- Host rocks
- Granite
- Associated minerals
- Amethyst, Quartz, feldspar
- Found in
- Pegmatite deposit
- Geography
- Brazil, Bolivia, Madagascar, Uruguay, Sri Lanka
Classification
- Rarity
- Common
- Gem quality
- Yes
Sources
- Citrine. Mindat.org (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy).
- Citrine. Gemdat.org (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy).
- J. W. Anthony, R. A. Bideaux, K. W. Bladh, M. C. Nichols, Quartz. Mineral Data Publishing, Handbook of Mineralogy, 2001.
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