While Citrine can be faked fairly easily, it’s fakes are usually just variants of other gems (namely Amethyst) or glass, which can be easily spotted. Having a natural gem is almost always ideal and we’re going to walk you through what real Citrine looks like as well as how to spot fakes.
Natural Citrine
Below are some tips on spotting real Citrine:
-Real Citrine has very even coloring throughout and does not get drastically darker or lighter through the gemstone
-If it’s real, it also does not generally have a pure white base (though there may be some white present at the bottom). White, chalky bases are typically indicative of ‘baking,’ which we’ll discuss.
-The real gem will have very smooth fault lines that are typically horizontal
-They’ll also be Smoky-colored and very clear (meaning no bubbles or infractions inside the gemstone)
Fake ‘N Bake
One of the more common methods of faking Citrine is to take Amethyst, a less expensive gemstone, and bake the gem. The result of baking Amethyst is an orangish color that looks similar to Citrine. However, Amethyst has a white base, so the resulting gemstone will have a chalky look at the bottom and the lower part of the gemstones will be white.
Here are some examples of Baked Amethyst
The Classic Glass Method
As with all gemstones, Citrine is often faked by using colored glass. Luckily for us, Glass Citrine is a very poor representation of the original as Citrine is a very clear gemstone. If you see even a single bubble inside the gemstone, it’s glass. Real Citrine will not have any bubbles at all.
Want a custom jeweler accustomed to dealing with Citrine? Give us a ring at (720) 560-3548 or schedule an appointment with our expert designer Kaeleigh!