Citrine Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

Citrine Value

Faceted - Top Color

O 6/4

.5 to 1 carat

Madeira

Orange

to /ct

Yellow

to

Gold

to

1 carat plus

Madeira

to /ct

Orange

to /ct

Yellow

to /ct

Gold

to /ct

Become a member to unlock prices

Cabochons

.5 to 1 carat

Yellow to Orange

to /ct

1 carat plus

Yellow to Orange

to /ct

Become a member to unlock prices

In terms of color, at the top end of the scale, you’ll find prime specimens of the most saturated yellow, orange, and reddish tones.

Those with less intense color fall into lower value ranges, with pale or smoky stones at the bottom.

There’s no exponential increase in value per carat with increase in size, as larger sizes are readily available. Inclusions will decrease value.

As with any gem material, custom cutting increases value. In many fancy cut or carved specimens, most of the value is due to the artistry of the cutting.

For more detailed information on citrine quality factors, consult our citrine buying guide.

Comments

Citrine was once the Rodney Dangerfield of the gem world. Due to its abundance, it would “get no respect,” as it were. In recent decades, this perception has changed, partly because earth-tone jewelry has come into vogue. Home shopping networks have also marketed the various shades of citrine aggressively, with catchy adjectives like “butterscotch” and “whiskey.” Apparently, this has worked. Citrine is now a modern alternative birthstone for November.

Mining actually yields very little citrine. The vast majority of citrine on the market is produced by heating smoky quartz (which produces light to medium yellows) and amethyst (which produces stronger yellows and orange-red to orangey brown shades). Natural stones usually occur in pale yellow colors, often with smoky tones.

Citrines range from light, lemon yellow to “Madeira,” a rich, orange color with red flashes. This accepted description refers strictly to color, not a locality.

Citrine as a Jewelry Stone

Citrines make fine jewelry stones. With no cleavage and a hardness of 7, they can be used for any jewelry application. Like most quartz, it's available in large sizes. Thus, custom gem cutters can easily use this stone for dramatic and intricate cuts.

An older cut inspired this new citrine gem design. Gem faceter Mark Oros writes:

I saw a wonderful gemstone design online that caught my interest. With a little research, I discovered it was featured in an article in Lapidary Journal, July 1972, by Wm. J. Maloney. He named the cut The Beatress. Originally, he sawed a sphere into quarters, dopped it, and faceted the pavilion. We used the GemCad program to redesign the gemstone for 2017. Here is our rendition of this beautiful design.

“5th of a Sphere” in golden citrine. © Mark Oros, Hashnu Stones & Gems. Used with permission.

Citrines can make beautiful, large engagement ring stones as well as excellent carving material.

Identifying Characteristics

Citrine's yellow colors are due to the presence of ferric iron, colors traditionally associated with topaz. Confusion between these gemstones does occur, even though quartz and topaz are distinct gem species.

Although encountered much more rarely than citrine, scapolite can easily be misidentified as citrine. You can learn how to distinguish them here.

Synthetics

Citrines can be grown hydrothermally in labs. Although natural quartz is common and inexpensive, synthetic quartz can be manufactured in sufficient quantities and at low cost. This makes the practice economically viable.

Enhancements

Turning natural smoky quartz and amethyst to citrine via heat treatment usually occurs right at the mine. However, this stable treatment is fully accepted within the gem trade. Colorless quartz stones are also irradiated and heated to produce “lemon quartz,” stones with a neon, slightly greenish yellow color.

Heat treating citrines with the proper iron content creates the prized “Madeira” color. However, no simple way of testing the iron content of citrine exists. Therefore, processors must monitor this treatment carefully.

Sources

Virtually all natural citrines come from Brazil.

Other notable gem-quality sources include the following:

• Bolivia; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Madagascar; Mexico; Myanmar; Namibia; Peru; Russia; South Africa; United States; Zambia.

Stone Sizes

Citrines thousands of carats in size exist. The Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC) has Brazilian stones of 2,258, 1,180, 783, 278, 265, and 217 carats. Most large museums have similar baubles.

Misnomers

In the past, people commonly referred to citrine by misleading names, such as “Brazilian topaz,” “Madeira topaz,” and even “topaz quartz.” Unscrupulous vendors can still take advantage of the long association of yellow with topaz to pass off inexpensive citrines as more expensive topaz pieces. For more examples, consult our list of misleading or false gemstone names.

Care

Citrines make durable jewelry stones that require little special care. However, heat-treated stones may fade when exposed to heat. Thus, avoid steam cleaning or boiling your citrine jewelry. Instead, use either ultrasonic cleaning or simply warm water, mild detergent, and a soft brush.

Although usually free of inclusions, citrines with low clarity grades — with liquids, gases, or crystals trapped within them — should be cleaned by hand only. However, any heat-treated citrines are most likely safe to clean in an ultrasonic cleaner.

Consult our gemstone jewelry cleaning guide for more recommendations.

Joel E. Arem, Ph.D., FGA

Dr. Joel E. Arem has more than 60 years of experience in the world of gems and minerals. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Mineralogy from Harvard University, he has published numerous books that are still among the most widely used references and guidebooks on crystals, gems and minerals in the world.

Co-founder and President of numerous organizations, Dr. Arem has enjoyed a lifelong career in mineralogy and gemology. He has been a Smithsonian scientist and Curator, a consultant to many well-known companies and institutions, and a prolific author and speaker. Although his main activities have been as a gem cutter and dealer, his focus has always been education. joelarem.com

View All Articles

Donald Clark, CSM IMG

The late Donald Clark, CSM founded the International Gem Society in 1998. Donald started in the gem and jewelry industry in 1976. He received his formal gemology training from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Society of Gemcutters (ASG). The letters “CSM” after his name stood for Certified Supreme Master Gemcutter, a designation of Wykoff’s ASG which has often been referred to as the doctorate of gem cutting. The American Society of Gemcutters only had 54 people reach this level. Along with dozens of articles for leading trade magazines, Donald authored the book “Modern Faceting, the Easy Way.”

View All Articles

Barbara Smigel, PhD. GG

Barbara Smigel is a GIA certified gemologist, facetor, jewelry designer, gem dealer, gemology instructor and creator of the well-regarded educational websites acstones.com and bwsmigel.info.

View All Articles

International Gem Society

View All Articles