Natural citrine

[txgreeneyes]

A nationwide jewelry company is selling a citrine pendant/necklace.

They say the citrine is natural. I say, "I don't think so". I'm sure it's a heated amethyst. Sure, it's a natural quartz, but how can they get away with saying it's natural and not disclose the treatments?

I did email them and ask. The representive said that the citrine was a natural topaz and heated to optain their color.

 

[FrekeChild]

A nationwide jewelry company is selling a citrine pendant/necklace.

They say the citrine is natural. I say, "I don't think so". I'm sure it's a heated amethyst. Sure, it's a natural quartz, but how can they get away with saying it's natural and not disclose the treatments?

I did email them and ask. The representive said that the citrine was a natural topaz and heated to optain their color.

I'm not sure I get this? Citrine is a very cheap gem, as far as they go, and it is quartz, the same as amethyst. There would be no need to heat amethyst to make it look like citrine. I don't even think it works that way.

And topaz that leans more towards the yellow/gold/brown of citrine is more expensive than citrine (precious or imperial topaz).

See here for examples:
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=83
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=73
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=18
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=27

So the representative for said company knows nothing of mineral composition, and obviously hasn't had any proper training (not surprisingly). Other than that, I'm not sure what the big deal is?

 

[Richard M.]

I did email them and ask. The representive said that the citrine was a natural topaz and heated to optain their color.

Let’s take this a step at a time.

Citrine is quartz. There is such a thing as natural (unheated) citrine but it’s not very common. The vast majority of genuine (not synthetic) citrine on the market is heated amethyst.

Consumers are justifiably confused because for generations, deliberately or through ignorance, some jewelers have called citrine quartz “topaz” or “citrine topaz”. They conveniently overlook the fact that quartz and topaz are entirely different minerals. Gem topaz is more highly valued in the public mind (and in the market) than yellow quartz, and that probably has something to do with the sales pitch.

Citrine is quartz, not topaz. Most citrine quartz begins its existence as amethyst.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)

 

[beau-wy]

In my experience, the vast majority of yellow/orange naturally occurring quartz has a brown modifer. The pure yellow/golds are heated from amethyst.

 

[chrono]

Natural quartz? Possible. Amethyst have been heated to alter its colour into citrine. I'm sure they don't use the really nice coloured amethysts though. Natural topaz heated into that colour? NO WAY!

 

[Richard M.]

In my experience, the vast majority of yellow/orange naturally occurring quartz has a brown modifer. The pure yellow/golds are heated from amethyst.

Some natural citrine has a brown overcast, some greenish, depending on its chemistry (iron vs. aluminum.) A lot of it is simply pale and not very attractive. The benefit for the amethyst-heaters is that pale amethyst that isn't in demand heats to very nice yellows. Some does some smoky quartz.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)

 

[Barrett]

There is really only a handful of locations world-wide that produce real natural citrine in any appreciable amount.