Citrine is one of the most popular and affordable gemstones. Named after the French word for lemon, "citron".

It is available in a range of golden hues from lemon to straw to sun yellow to gold, as well as oranges and browns. The most sought after stones have a clear, radiant yellowish to brownish red hue.

Citrines generally start life as either Smoky Quartz or Amethyst geodes. Heat treatments first turn them clear and then give them a permanent colour ranging from yellow to brownish red. 

Citrine is generally more affordable than Amethyst, its quartz cousin. Occasionally, Mother Nature combines the colours of Amethyst and Citrine into a single gemstone called "Ametrine".  Like all quartz gems, Citrine is relatively plentiful and is available in a wide range of sizes and shapes, including very large sizes.