How to Identify the Authenticity of Natural Citrine

Citrine is also referred to as the Crystal Topaz within the gem industry and the color is either pale yellow or golden yellow, yellow-orange and opaque gold. Any transparent and smooth citrine of brilliant brightness and rich saturation of the colors is regarded as a best quality stone. It is far more transparent than yellow topaz and is therefore very popular with the consumers, usually in pendants or in ring stones. Natural citrine however is very rare and thus very expensive.

The Meaning of Citrine
In most cases, citrine is a symbol of happiness, health, and wealth. Here's why:
Happiness: The citrine is able to change the mood of people, relax a nervous mind and introduce calmness and happiness. Citrine when worn regularly leads to increased confidence, enabling people to make decisions with confidence and certainty. This is the root of happiness.

Health: Citrine can be used to relieve stomachaches, acidity and indigestion. Citrine jewelry will also help in relieving the symptoms in people who have problems with their digestive system. It also provides the defense of kidneys and liver. Thus, buying citrine would not only make you beautiful but also help improve your health.

Wealth: Citrine is believed to be a wealth attracting stone particularly in unforeseen or secondary income. It is called the stone of the merchant and is extremely popular among traders in stocks in order to bring about financial success.

Identifying Authentic Citrine.
Another significant and famous member of the natural crystal family is Citrine. The citrine in the market however is of different quality and many individuals do not know the little differences. The widespread occurrence of yellowish citrine has led to the existence of the fake versions in the market and particularly with the Brazilian orange-yellow citrine which is priced higher. In case of purchasing a fake item by mistake, it is not only that you are going to lose substantial amount of money but also that wearing or utilization of such counterfeit crystals can be harmful to your health as well. This is how to identify real citrine and the false ones.

(1) Visual Inspection:
The Earth forms natural citrine and thus it usually has inclusions, cracks on the form of the ice, cloudy or cloudy-like and color band patterns. Synthetic citrine on the other hand is produced in a laboratory or a factory and hence its crystals are near perfect. Natural citrine due to the sunlight shows some faint, horizontal, and uniform lines or inclusions of fluff, whereas fake citrine, which is frequently composed of pieces of glass or low-grade crystal, does not. True citrine will shine with beautiful colours in all angles when it is under sunlight whereas the false citrine will not.

(2) Sensory Check:
Real citrine is cold to the touch, and heavy at the same time. Synthetic citrine is lighter and warmer. Lick the surface of the crystal with your tongue--even in the hottest summer days, real citrine will be as cool to the tongue as fake citrine will not.

(3) Thermal Conductivity Test:
Take a thermal conductivity tester and make it to be on the green zone (level 4). Authentic citrine will shift towards yellow (level 2), whereas counterfeit citrine will not. There may be a slight rise of the larger stones to yellow (level 1).

(4) Polarizing Filter Test:
Spin around with a polarizing filter - real citrine will be seen with light and dark spots appearing at some point as you spin it 360 degrees. counterfeit citrine will not change.

(5) Refractometer Test:
A refractometer may be employed in order to compare citrine with glass by measuring the refractive index. The refractive index of Citrine is also not the same as that of glass. Sunlight can also be used to provide a visual difference by professionals but beginners might require special equipment.

(6) Hardness Test:
The hardness of citrine is 7 on Mohs scale whereas that of glass is approximately 5.5. When you scratch citrine on glass it will not be scratched, but the glass will be.

(7) Birefringence Check:
Natural citrine is birefringent (has a double refraction) such that when it is put over a fine strand of hair you will see two images of the hair. This will not be the case with fake citrine.

(8) Magnification Inspection:
Transmitted light, look through a 10x magnifying glass. When you observe bubbles or inclusions then the crystal is most probably a fake.

(9) Craftsmanship:
The citrine gemstones are of high quality having smooth surfaces and sharp clean edges. Copies of citrine (particularly glass) are likely to possess rougher, uneven surfaces, and sloppy cuts.

(10) Optical Distinction:
Glass is homogeneous material and citrine is the heterogeneous material that is crystalline. Real citrine will change light and dark when one spins it through a polarizing filter and fake citrine will not.

Citrine differences Brazilian vs Domestic.

Color:
Brazil is a country in which a large assortment of crystal gems is produced. The Brazilian yellow citrine is quite beautiful and it has a light yellow color, which then flows to orange-yellow, and finally, to brownish yellow. The orange-yellow color is the most appreciated and most liked. Domestic citrine on the contrary is less intense and has a greenish yellow hue.

Price:
Citrine in Brazil has high demand and fetches higher price. Brazilian citrine is usually sold in high quality with a price of between 50-70 RMB per gram with the superior grades sold at even higher prices. Citrine produced in the country is less expensive and less popular. This is due to the fact that, a lot of the domestic citrine has been man-made and stained and a lot of customers find it difficult to know natural and artificial stones.

Color Uniformity:
Gradient color of Brazilian citrine is usually light to dark though the high quality Brazilian citrine and more so the orange-yellow is even and perfect with no imperfection and is almost like synthetic citrine.

The Quality of Citrine assessment.

Citrine is widely graded into three;

5A Grade: This is the best standard in the industry.

AA Grade: Crystal is perfect with no evidence of man-made imperfection, is smooth and glossy in surface and appearance.

A Grade: Small inclinations of nature or minor cracks can be present and the polish is somewhat in a frosted texture.

AB Grade: large inclusions or cracks can be seen and the appearance of finish is poor.

B Grade: The crystal is heavily impurified and cracked as well as rough and sandy finished.

C Grade: It is the lowest grade that has visible cracks and visible impurities. The finish of the surface is coarse and lumpy.