Citrine is a yellow crystal with many healing benefits.
Citrine gets its color due to iron impurities in the crystal structure.
Iron enters the Citrine crystals during the time of formation.
Some sellers heat Amethyst crystals to make them appear like Citrine.
It is crucial to learn how to tell if Citrine is real or fake to get an authentic crystal.
What are the Benefits of Citrine?
Here is a list of some of the benefits of citrine.
- People of ancient Rome made ornaments from Citrine because they believed it brought them joy and happiness. It was a sign of richness in ancient Rome.
- Many artists keep Citrine crystals with them to enhance their creativity. Many business owners carry a Citrine crystal with them, believing it will bring wealth. Some people also consider it the wealth-attracting stone.
- Many jewelers make Citrine jewelry because of its elegance and beauty. Citrine with deep yellow color sells at a higher price.
You can learn about heat-treated Citrine also if you have a naturally occurring Citrine crystal to know the different benefits.
How are synthetically heat-treated citrines obtained?
Synthetic Citrine manufacturers place the Amethyst crystals in industrial ovens.
They take the oven temperature to 482 degrees celsius to change the Amethyst color.
The change in the Amethyst color is due to the iron form change.
Iron undergoes a reduction reaction to change its form when you heat it at 482 degrees celsius.
If you have dark-colored Amethyst, it will give the appearance of Citrine when you heat it.
If you take a light color Amethyst and heat it at 482 degrees celsius, it will give a similar appearance to Smoky Quartz.
How Can You Tell if Citrine is Real or Fake?
You can identify Citrine with different physical and chemical tests.
The best way to tell if citrine is real or fake is to observe the color. The color of citrines tends to be fairly even throughout. A good way to distinguish a fake Citrine from a real one is to closely observe its color. An abrupt change in hue at different points on the stone could indicate a fake Citrine.
It is better to use tests that do not harm the Citrine crystal structure as it is an expensive stone.
It is better to start with pattern and color distribution observation.
Transparency is also a crucial factor for Citrine’s identification.
Some people find the authenticity of the Citrine crystals by the way light responds to the crystal.
You can do the hardness test to confirm Citrine’s identity and distinguish it from counterfeit crystals.
1. To Tell if Citrine is Real or Fake, Check the Pattern of Color
Citrine can occur in many colors. You can get Citrine crystals in pale-yellow color.
Some crystals can have a bright orange color also.
A brown tine in the crystals does not represent a counterfeit crystal as it is also an identification parameter of the authentic Citrine crystals.
You can find Citrine in many parts of the world.
A deep-yellow Citrine mostly comes from Brazil. It is crucial to observe every part of the Citrine from different angles to find the color differences in the crystal.
If the crystal does not have equal color distribution, you can assume it is made from heating Amethyst.
These are the parameters to look for in the heated Amethyst.
- Some parts of the crystal have bright pearly Amber color.
- The yellow color is deeper in one part of the crystal.
- The area with more heat delivery will show a white color.
2. To Tell if Citrine is Real or Fake, Observe the Shape and Size of the Crystal
The shape of the crystal can also guide us about the authenticity of the Citrine crystals.
Citrine does not form in the geodes most of the time.
Amethyst crystals are primarily from the inner parts of the geodes.
If there are signs that the crystals are removed from the geode, it should be Amethyst.
Amethyst shows dog-tooth-like tips. It is pointy without many sides.
Citrine does not have point tips. It has more pyramidal-shaped tips.
You can differentiate the genuine and heat-treated Citrine when you know the crystal shape.
If a seller is giving Citrine crystals in the cluster form at a low price, it is an indication of counterfeit crystal.
3. To Tell if Citrine is Real or Fake, Check the Transparency
Transparency of the crystal can give crucial tips about the authenticity of the Citrine crystals.
Amethyst crystals are treated with heat to reduce their color.
They do not have the same level of transparency as the natural Citrine crystals.
You can place the authentic and synthetic crystals in a magazine to check the transparency.
You can train your eyes by checking the difference in transparency one time.
It will become easy for you to identify synthetic crystals when no authentic crystals are nearby.
You should see the letters on the other side of the high-quality Citrine crystals when you place them in the magazine.
4. To Tell if Citrine is Real or Fake, Observe the Loss of Color over Time
The change of the Amethyst color with the heat treatment is reversible.
If you bought a crystal and want to confirm its identity, you can check the crystal color.
If the crystal changes color with some shades of purple appearing on the surface, you do not have the authentic Citrine crystal.
Amethyst will change back to its original color after some time.
You can heat it again to make it yellow.
Radiations from the sun and unnatural sources can bring the color of the Amethyst crystals.
5. To Tell if Citrine is Real or Fake, Do the Scratch Test
Citrine is a type of Quartz. It has the same hardness score as the Quartz crystals.
Citrine has a hardness score of 7 on the Moh hardness scale.
You cannot scratch Citrine crystals with glass material.
You can take a glass and a knife to test the Citrine authenticity.
If a knife or glass makes scratches on the surface of Citrine crystals, these are counterfeit crystals.
You should scratch the surface of the glass with Citrine easily. T
his test will help you distinguish between authentic and counterfeit Citrine crystals made from glass.
6. To Tell if Citrine is Real or Fake, Check the Citrine鈥檚 Luster
You can differentiate Citrine from other crystals with yellow color by checking the luster on the Citrine surface.
Citrine gives a vitreous luster.
It will appear shiny like the glass on the surface. Some crystals split the light wavelengths.
It does not occur in the Citrine.
You will not see rainbow-like colors on the Citrine surface.
Amber does not give a glassy shine as it consists of the remains of the plants.
Amber will appear like honey instead of glass.
7. To Tell if Citrine is Real or Fake, Observe the Metaphysical Effect from Natural and Industrially Made Citrine
You will not get the healing benefits of Citrine when you have the heated Amethyst crystal.
Citrine helps in restoring balance in your life.
Heated Amethyst will give opposite effects.
You can feel the crystal energy by placing it on your palm.
You can get help from a professional gemologist if you feel that the crystal is not giving the intended effects.
You can ask the gemologist to check the crystal’s authenticity.
To Summarize: How to tell if Citrine is Real or Fake
There are many ways to check the authenticity of the Citrine crystal.
Many sellers make counterfeit Citrine as these crystals sell at a high price.
You can keep these points in mind before buying the Citrine crystals.
- Citrine is a yellow crystal with a vitreous luster.
- Some sellers heat Amethyst to imitate Citrine crystals.
- Citrine crystals have a high level of transparency than heated Amethyst crystals.
- You can check the authenticity of the Citrine crystals with a scratch test. Glass should not scratch the Citrine crystals.
- A loss of color over time indicates you have a counterfeit Citrine crystal.