How to Tell If Citrine Is Real or Heat-Treated
Citrine is one of the most asked-about crystals in our shop, and the question we hear most is: "Is this real?" The answer is almost always yes — it's real citrine. The more useful question is whether its colour is natural or heat-treated. Here's how to tell the difference, and why both have a place on your shelf.
What is citrine, exactly?
Citrine is yellow-to-golden quartz. Its colour comes from tiny traces of iron in the crystal, combined with natural heat deep in the Earth's crust. The conditions have to be just right, so naturally coloured citrine is genuinely rare.
Most citrine on the market today started life as amethyst. When amethyst is heated to several hundred degrees, its purple turns yellow, orange or deep amber. This has been done for well over a century and is widely accepted in the gem and crystal trade — but a good seller should always tell you.
Is heat-treated citrine fake?
No. Heat-treated citrine is still real, natural amethyst or quartz, mined from the ground like any other crystal. Only its colour has been changed by heat. It isn't glass, plastic or dye. Think of it as a different kind of citrine rather than a fake one.
Lots of people love heat-treated citrine for its rich, sunny colour, and it's far more affordable. Others prefer the softer look and rarity of natural citrine. There's no wrong choice — you just deserve to know which one you're buying.
5 ways to tell natural citrine from heat-treated
1. Look at the colour. Natural citrine is usually pale lemon, soft honey or a smoky champagne gold. Heat-treated citrine tends towards strong orange, burnt amber or reddish-brown — sometimes almost too vivid to be true.
2. Check where the colour sits. In heat-treated clusters, the colour is usually strongest at the tips with a white or milky base — exactly like an amethyst cluster, where the purple is deepest at the points. Natural citrine tends to be coloured more evenly through the stone.
3. Clusters and geodes are a big clue. Natural citrine rarely grows as sparkly cluster beds or inside geodes. If you see a citrine geode or cluster, it's almost always heat-treated amethyst.
4. Think about the price. Natural citrine is rarer, so it costs more. A large, deeply coloured piece at a very low price is almost certainly heat-treated (or not citrine at all).
5. Ask the seller. A good crystal shop will tell you straight away whether a piece is natural or heat-treated, and where it came from. If they can't tell you, be cautious.
What about lemon quartz?
Lemon quartz is the stone most often mistaken for real citrine — you'll sometimes even see it sold as "lemon citrine". But it's a different thing altogether. Lemon quartz is usually clear or smoky quartz that has been irradiated, a treatment that turns it a bright, fresh lemon yellow.
How to spot it: lemon quartz is a zesty, sherbet yellow, often with a faint greenish tint, and it's usually very clear with an even, all-over colour. Citrine leans warmer — honey, golden or champagne tones rather than bright lemon.
Like heat-treated citrine, lemon quartz is still real quartz — only its colour has been changed, and it's perfectly safe to handle and wear. We love it for its sunny, uplifting colour. We just always call it lemon quartz, never citrine, so you know exactly what you're getting.
What about lab tests?
For fine faceted gemstones, a gemmologist can use tools such as a dichroscope or spectroscope to look for tell-tale differences. For most crystal lovers, though, colour, shape, price and an honest seller will tell you everything you need to know.
How we label citrine at The Crystal Shop
Our citrine listings include a "Nature" section that tells you plainly whether the piece is natural or heat-treated, and our natural pieces are named "Natural Brazilian Citrine" so you can spot them at a glance. We hand-pick every piece ourselves, so if you're ever unsure, just ask — in the shop at 61 South Street, St Andrews, or by message.
Shop our citrine
Natural citrine
Heat-treated citrine
Lemon quartz
A little citrine folklore
Citrine was traditionally known as "the merchant's stone" — shopkeepers would keep a piece in the till in the hope of attracting good fortune. It's also a November birthstone, and in crystal tradition it's associated with joy, positivity and abundance. Natural or heat-treated, it's one of the sunniest stones you can bring home.
Got a citrine question we haven't answered? Pop into the shop at 61 South Street, St Andrews, or send us a message — we love a crystal chat.
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