Citrine is the yellow to golden variety of quartz. The name comes from citron, the fruit. Hardness is about 7, the same family as amethyst and rock crystal. It takes a bright polish and wears well in a bead or a simple pendant.
Heat is part of the trade
A large share of the citrine in shops began as purple amethyst. Heating changes the colour toward yellow, gold or a reddish brown. That treatment is common and, when it is told, it is not a scandal. What is poor practice is selling heated amethyst as a rare untreated citrine from a famous mine. Ask which it is. If the answer is uncertain, the bill can say yellow quartz, heated, and still be honest.
Brazil, Madagascar and other quartz countries produce it. A country name without a laboratory is a origin claim to treat carefully. Spain appears on some cards. A card is not a report.
The merchant's stone
Citrine is called a merchant's stone and a stone of wealth and joy. Traders have liked the story. The story does not move a balance. Confidence is a habit. A yellow bead can remind someone of that habit. It cannot clear a debt, and it does not have to. Buy the colour you want, with the treatment written down, and wear it because it is pleasant.
SGJ Journal · 15/10/2026
