Real Citrine vs Fake Citrine
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Real citrine vs fake citrine. How can you tell the difference between natural citrine and heat-treated amethyst and does it really matter?
Citrine is a very popular stone in the manifestation and law of attraction community due to its association with wealth and abundance. It is a beautiful stone from the quartz group of crystals with a range of colour from a very pale yellow to a dark amber colour. Citrine can be used for many different purposes, from magickal and healing to decoration.
Because of its rise in popularity, there is a lot of information about real citrine vs fake citrine becoming available.
Real Citrine vs Fake Citrine
To the untrained eye, it can be hard to tell the difference between real citrine and heat-treated amethyst (sometimes smokey quartz is also used).
When I purchased my first citrine, about 7 years ago, I had no clue that fake citrine was even a thing. I saw a beautiful crystal that I needed to have and, it turns out, it was a fake citrine.
After years of studying about crystals and finding some amazing resources online, I now know the difference. I want to share this knowledge with you so that you can feel confident in your crystal buying adventures.
How do you tell the difference?
Telling the difference between citrine created by mother earth and citrine altered in a lab is not always that easy. There are a few things to look out for when buying citrine.
Citrine is a silicon dioxide (SiO2) crystal. Whether real or fake, on a molecular level, it is still a SiO2 quartz. Amethyst (and smokey quartz) are also SiO2.
Fake citrine is using a lab and modern tools to do what mother earth does naturally. Instead of using geothermal energy within the earth, a lab is used to heat the SiO2 crystal to change its colour.
But it is often that colour that gives it away.
Real Citrine
I want to share this beautiful collection of real citrine specimens from Hibiscus Moon. If you are looking for an amazing resource for crystal healing, I highly recommend her content.
What makes natural citrine identifyable?
- Clarity: lots of clarity
- Colour: typically uniform in colour. Colours ranging from a pale yellow (champagne) colour to a deep dark amber or honey colour.
- Shape: quite often presents as a point and can have little baby crystals around its base.
- No white base.
Fake Citrine
First off, just because this type of citrine was created in a lab, it does not make it any less valuable to you are a healer, a witch, or a general lover of crystals for their beauty. It is simply a different kind of crystal.
Citrine created in a lab has some visual differences that can help identify it.
- a white base – whether on a geode like the image below or a specimen with a white root.
- dark colour with minimal clarity. If you see a citrine with a white base and very dark, almost orange tips it is very likely a heat-treated stone.
When shopping for crystals, you should be able to trust the people that you are buying them from.
Sometimes, the employees at New Age shops do not always know the difference between heat-treated and natural citrine. Because of this, I recommend buying from a reputable crystal shop or going to gem and mineral show or convention.
Talk to suppliers and wholesalers. Find out where your crystals are coming from and feel comfortable and confident in your purchase.
My Citrines
Check out my video on my YouTube channel about this topic where I show you my two citrines – one being real and one being fake.
Do you like crystal related content? Let me know which crystals you would like me to talk about down in the comments!
Does It Really Matter?
Does it really matter if you have a naturally occurring citrine or a heat-treated amethyst that was produced in a lab?
To me, the answer is no.
I own both types of citrine and I love and value both of them.
To me, owning both real and fake citrine provides for variety in my magical workings. Some days, I may be drawn to one type of citrine over another. It will all depend on my mood and what I am using the crystal for.
There is no judgement, at least from me, over which type of citrine you choose. Whether you bought what you did because of availability, price, or just purely based on looks – it doesn’t matter.
What really matters is the connection you feel with your crystals.
At the end of the day, you can have the biggest and most expensive crystal but if you do not feel a connection to that stone than its value is worthless.
Love, light, and happiness to you all.
Have a fantastic day.
