Citrine is the yellow-to-orange variety of quartz, prized for its sunny color and clarity. While most citrine on the market is heat-treated amethyst, natural citrine is a sought-after collector's item typically found in volcanic cavities or pegmatites.
Is this citrine?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch citrine with a known reference. Citrine sits at Mohs 7 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Citrine leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Citrine typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, golden-yellow, amber, orange-brown.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals.
Often confused with
Citrine vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside citrine
Minerals reported to co-occur with citrine. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- SiO₂
- Mohs hardness
- 7
- Density
- 2.65 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Gemstone, Lapidary, Collector, Decorative
- Host rock
- Pegmatites, Hydrothermal Veins, Igneous Rocks
- Typical price
- $5-20 per carat for natural material, $1-5 per carat for heat-treated material
Where rockhounds find citrine
11 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Brazil
- Madagascar
- USA
- Russia
- Bolivia
Field-hunting tip
Look in pegmatites, hydrothermal veins, igneous rocks country — that is the host setting where citrine typically forms. If you start seeing amethyst, rock crystal, microcline in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Connecticut, Georgia, Nevada — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find citrine on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
