What does citrine mean?
Citrine is a variety of the mineral quartz distinguished by its warm shades of yellow, ranging from pale lemon to deep amber-gold. It is widely cut and polished as a semiprecious gemstone and serves as the traditional birthstone for November, appearing frequently in rings, necklaces, earrings, and other jewellery. The name also functions as an adjective describing a light yellowish colour reminiscent of the stone. Citrine owes its colour to traces of iron within the crystal, though much of the citrine sold commercially is produced by heating amethyst, its purple quartz sibling. Affordable, durable, and cheerful in tone, the gem carries associations of warmth, optimism, and abundance, which has made it popular both in fine jewellery and in decorative objects. Beyond mineralogy, citrine appears in fashion and interior design vocabulary wherever a soft golden-yellow hue needs a precise, elegant name.
A pale yellow to golden-brown variety of quartz used as a gemstone; the traditional birthstone for November.
"Her grandmother left her a Victorian locket set with three small citrines."
Usually uncountable when denoting the material generally, countable when referring to individual gems.
Of a light, clear yellow colour, like that of the gemstone.
"She chose a silk scarf in a soft citrine shade."
Relatively rare outside contexts of fashion, design, and descriptive writing.
The plural is used when referring to individual stones or specimens, e.g. multiple gems in a piece of jewellery. When discussing citrine as a material in general, the singular uncountable form is standard.
"The bracelet sparkled with alternating citrines and pearls."
Most of the citrine on the market isn't dug up yellow at all — it's purple amethyst that's been baked in a furnace until it turns gold.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of citrine
The word citrine comes from the French 'citrin', meaning 'lemon-yellow', which itself derives from Latin 'citrus' via 'citrum', referring to the citron tree and its pale yellow fruit. The term entered English usage around the early modern period, initially as a colour word before becoming firmly attached to the yellow variety of quartz. It shares its root with related words such as citrus and citron, all ultimately tracing back to the same Latin source.
Related word forms
How citrine is actually used
As a noun, citrine is typically uncountable when referring to the material in general ('a ring set with citrine') but takes a plural form when referring to individual stones or specimens. The adjectival sense is comparatively rare in everyday speech and appears mostly in descriptions of colour, fashion, and interior design. In the gem trade, note that much commercially sold citrine is produced by heat-treating amethyst rather than being naturally coloured.
Easily confused with citrine
Topaz is a different mineral entirely (a fluoro-silicate of aluminium), whereas citrine is a variety of quartz; the two are often confused because heat-treated amethyst sold as citrine can resemble yellow topaz.
Amethyst is the purple variety of the same mineral, quartz, and much commercial 'citrine' is actually heat-treated amethyst.