is your citrine naturally grown?
Citrine is the transparent, pale yellow to brownish orange vatiety of quartz. Natural citrine is rare and the vast majority of citrine on the market is heat-treated amethyst or smoky quartz. The heat treatment can cause some amethyst to change color from undesirable pale violet to an attractive yellow.
Natural Citrine
Heat Treated Citrine
Its rarity is due to the limited occurrence of the conditions necessary for its creation.The formation of natural citrine typically involves the following process:
- Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) and trace impurities: Citrine is composed of silicon dioxide (SiO2), which the characteristic yellow to golden-brown color is the result of trace amounts of iron impurities (Fe3+) within the crystal lattice.
- Volcanic activity: Natural citrine is associated with regions that have experienced volcanic activity. When volcanic rocks cool down, they often release hot water-rich solutions that circulate through nearby rocks and fissures.
- Iron-bearing minerals: These hot, water-rich solutions carry iron-bearing minerals through the rock formations. When these iron-bearing minerals come into contact with quartz crystals, the iron impurities diffuse into the quartz lattice.
- Crystal growth: Over time, the quartz crystals grow, incorporating the iron impurities. The process of crystal growth and mineral inclusion creates the yellow to golden-brown color characteristic of natural citrine.
- Geological setting: The geological conditions that lead to the formation of natural citrine are relatively specific. Factors such as the presence of iron-bearing minerals, hydrothermal activity, and the right temperature and pressure conditions all play a crucial role in the creation of natural citrine.
How to identify nature citrine from heat-treated amethysy?
Here are some hints:
First, genuine citrine is the same colour all the way through for the most part in the crystal. The heat-treated often have opaque white in it, usually at the base.
Second, natural citrine tends to grow in single crystal or small cluster of a few crystals. The geode form is never appear in nature citrine.
Any treatments to quartz should be disclosed to the buyer.