Citrine: meaning, properties and lore

The mineral

Citrine is the transparent pale yellow to brownish orange variety of quartz, and it is a variety of quartz with the chemical composition SiO₂. Its warm orange and yellow hues may have some hints of brown.^1234589

A trace of iron in citrine's structure is responsible for its yellow-to-orange colour.³¹²¹⁰

Citrine rates a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale and has good toughness, and its durability is shared with most other quartzes. Abrupt temperature changes can cause citrine to fracture, and it should not be subjected to heat.^6712310

Natural citrine is rare and is less common than amethyst and smoky quartz. Most citrine on the market results from heat treatment of amethyst, which changes its colour from pale violet to yellow, and the original hue of the amethyst can determine the richness of the yellow.^51113107212

Heating amethyst or smoky quartz in the ordinary manner did not produce the yellow of citrine in the specimens tested by Prof. Leidy. Some authorities state that citrine is probably produced by burning amethyst or smoky quartz, and some citrine may also be produced by heat-treating smoky quartz from certain localities.⁹⁸⁷

Pale yellow citrine is derived from many localities, while the best and deeper coloured citrine is said to come from Brazil. Natural citrine sources include Bolivia, Spain, Madagascar, Mexico and Uruguay, and amethyst heat-treated to a citrine colour is mined mostly in Brazil.⁸⁹¹

History and lore

Yellow quartz was known in the trade under names such as false topaz, Bohemian, occidental, Indian, and Spanish topaz, according to A Hand-book of Precious Stones. Citrine cut as a gem was common and was sold by jewellers, almost to the exclusion of the true mineral, as topaz, as On Citrine or Yellow Quartz records. In the days before modern gemology, its tawny colour caused it to be confused with topaz.^13986723

Prof. Leidy made remarks on citrine at the Academy, hoping to elicit more accurate information about its origin, as recorded in On Citrine or Yellow Quartz.⁹⁸

In the Anglo-Norman lapidary tradition, citrine is one of three kinds of jacinth, the other two being the granate and the euage. The First French Verse Lapidary says the citrine jacinth tends toward paleness and is therefore of lesser worth, while the First Prose Lapidary states that it is pale and for that reason cheaper than the others.¹⁴

The Second Prose Lapidary says that whoever carries a jacinth on the person can travel safely in foreign lands without fear of sickness from cold, and the First French Verse Lapidary says the jacinth should be worn hung from the neck or on the finger, and that its bearer will be welcomed at home and will have requests granted.¹⁴

The Anglo-Norman lapidary notes say the citrine jacinth is found in Ethiopia. Citrine, believed to derive from the French word for lemon (citron), has been reported in Roman jewelry and was particularly popular in Scottish jewelry from the Victorian era.¹⁴¹

An ornate Victorian citrine brooch is thought to date from the 1860s, and an oval citrine brooch with six ruby accent stones has surfaced. The Anahí mine in Bolivia was discovered by a Spanish conquistador in the 1600s, given to him as dowry, lost for three centuries, and rediscovered in the 1960s.¹²¹

In Cooley's Cyclopaedia, the term citrine appears as a name for a yellow ointment, not as a gemstone, and citrine ointment is a preparation whose synonym is CITRINE CERATE, made from citrine ointment and simple cerate in equal parts.¹⁵

Birthstone and chakra links

Citrine is a November birthstone, offered alongside topaz, and the Jewelry Industry Council of America formally added it as a November birthstone in 1952. The National Association of Jewelers released the modern birthstone list in 1912, which only included transparent gems.^1316175184

Citrine is given for the thirteenth wedding anniversary, the gem that commemorates the thirteenth anniversary.¹³

Practitioners say citrine is traditionally associated with the Solar Plexus chakra (Manipura), a modern link in crystal practice.^18192021

What crystal practitioners say

Crystal practitioners associate citrine with the mind. Modern beliefs attribute to citrine the ability to enhance mental clarity and focus, supporting spiritual practices and meditation. In several traditions, citrine is described as supporting concentration, memory, and creativity. Citrine is said to boost self-confidence and help one regain control of one's own life, according to The Healing Crystals First Aid Book.¹⁶²²

Crystal practitioners say citrine helps release negative emotions such as fear, anger, or sadness. Believers hold that citrine transmutes negative energies into positive ones and dispels negative thoughts, fears, and self-doubt. Citrine is believed to activate and balance the solar plexus chakra, the centre of personal power and self-confidence.²³¹⁹²⁰

Citrine is said to improve a sense of well being and help one sweeten one's life, according to The Healing Crystals First Aid Book. Users often claim that citrine brings a sense of joy and abundance and shifts attitudes from negativity to positivity.²²²⁰

Crystal practitioners say citrine attracts wealth, success, and abundance.^2319162120

Crystal practitioners say citrine is a traditional Merchant's Stone that is placed in a cash box, wallet, or register to invite prosperity. Crystal healers say citrine is used in energy work to promote positive energy flow and manifest one's desires, and say it channels abundance, manifestation, and willpower.¹⁸¹⁹²³

During solar plexus meditation, citrine is said to rest on the upper abdomen to support confidence and personal power. According to The Healing Crystals First Aid Book, the stone is credited with helping a person let go of past incidents, turn attention toward the future, and ease despair by fostering optimism.¹⁸²²

Crystal practitioners say citrine is cleansed by rinsing under running water or smudging with sage or palo santo, and charged by placing it in direct sunlight for several hours. Practitioners believe citrine is self-cleansing and does not accumulate negative energy, instead transmuting it into positive energy.²³¹⁸

Many practitioners cleanse and charge citrine periodically as a ritual reset, using smudging, moonlight, sound, or brief morning sunlight. Practitioners say heat-treated citrine still holds healing qualities but is more intense and can be overbearing.¹⁸²¹

What testing has found

Edzard Ernst concluded in his analysis of 150 complementary and alternative treatments that there are no rigorous trials testing the therapeutic value of crystal healing. Ernst stated that a scientific proof of any positive effect of crystal healing beyond a placebo effect does not exist, and that pleasant feelings reported from it can be attributed to the strong placebo effect or to believers' cognitive bias.²⁴

A 2001 study by Christopher French tested 80 volunteers meditating with either a real quartz crystal or a fake glass crystal. Participants could not tell real quartz from fake glass, and they felt warmth, tingling, or well-being that they had been primed to expect. Euronews reported that both groups given real and fake crystals were as likely to report the suggested sensations.²⁴²⁵²⁶

Its results have not been replicated in larger studies, and Ernst noted that the study did not test the therapeutic value of crystal healing. Few studies have compared crystal therapy to other therapies, and rigorous scientific research on how it works is lacking.²⁶²⁴

Some researchers say crystals likely do not directly act on physical and psychological woes but may have indirect benefits explained by the placebo effect. Ted Kaptchuk, a Harvard Medical School professor, argues placebo effects in unconventional medicine should not be discarded because they reveal important dimensions of health care. Crystal healers say there is no proven link between crystals and the body, while still claiming every person completing a course benefits.²⁶