Gemstone encyclopedia
Citrine — meaning, history and vintage jewelry
Citrine is the yellow to orange brown variety of quartz, at 7 on the Mohs scale. Natural citrine is uncommon, and most citrine in jewelry, including in period pieces, is amethyst or smoky quartz that has been heated to a golden color. That is a stable, long accepted treatment. Citrine's size, warmth and affordability made it the defining stone of 1940s Retro cocktail jewelry.
What citrine is
The warm madeira and cognac tones are the ones most associated with antique and Retro work. Paler lemon citrine is more common today.
Because large clean rough is easy to find, citrine is one of the few stones where a genuinely big, well cut example stays affordable. Retro designers used that to make jewelry that looked enormously rich without a precious stone budget.
Color and hardness
- Species
- Quartz
- Color
- Pale lemon through golden yellow to warm madeira brown
- Mohs hardness
- 7
- What that means in wear
- Durable enough for rings, with the same practical limits as any quartz: guard the facet edges.
How to care for citrine
- Warm soapy water and a soft brush.
- Avoid prolonged sunlight and sudden heat, which can affect heated color.
- Skip steam cleaning.
Our full house rules, including what the one year warranty does and does not cover, are in the care & warranty guide.
History and symbolism
Citrine appears in Georgian and Victorian Scottish jewelry, often called cairngorm when it came from Scottish quartz. It reached its peak in the 1940s, when wartime restrictions on platinum and diamonds pushed designers toward big colored quartz in gold.
Long linked to warmth, energy and good cheer, largely as a straightforward reading of the color.
Citrine in vintage and antique jewelry
Scottish pebble and cairngorm jewelry; Victorian brooches; and above all Retro cocktail rings, clips and bracelets with large rectangular or square citrines in rose and yellow gold.
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Citrine pieces in our collection
Every curated vintage, antique and estate piece is one of a kind and checked by our jewelry specialists in the Netherlands. If nothing is right today, we will look for it.
Frequently asked questions
- Is most citrine heat treated?
- Yes. Natural citrine is scarce, so most material is heated amethyst or smoky quartz. The color is permanent and the practice is standard.
- What is cairngorm?
- The Scottish name for smoky to yellow quartz used in nineteenth century Scottish jewelry. It is the same species as citrine.
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