Carnelian Vs Citrine Vs Iron Stained Quartz

Have you found a yellow, orange, or red stone? This short guide will help you spot the difference between the three yellow – orange – red minerals which are most commonly sold or found.

One piece of Australian Carnelian Rockhounded by Fox circa 2018 on the left, and a Scottish carnelian from South Ayrshire found 2021-ish.

It is too easy to believe that you have found a carnelian or a citrine when you find quartz stained with just the right amount of iron oxides. Since they are all so similar, it is difficult as a newbie rockhound to know what the telltale signs are. This article should give you a better idea of how to tell the difference.

<There are a couple of amazon links to iron out products in our iron-stained quartz section. You are under no obligation to buy - just enjoy the read.>

Why Do We Confuse Citrine, Carnelian, and Yellow Quartz?

This orange quartz takes its soft colouring from iron oxides. This piece could be considered orange aventurine.

Back in the old days, we frequently made the mistake of thinking yellow or orange quartz was actually chalcedony. It is an easy mistake to make – particularly since all three have both the same Mohs Hardness rating (7) and all three leave no streak, although iron stained quartz might hint at colour.

Not only do they have the same streak and Mohs hardness (because they are all quartz/silica minerals), but they also share colour and, in some cases, can have the same lustre. To add another possibility into the mix, they could even be orange calcite. It’s just all so confusing.

This eye agate (the wee dot is the eye) features both red and white. It is solid, so it could be considered jasper. However, this is red chalcedony. If you sliced it thinkly enough, light would transfer through.

So, if carnelian, citrine, and iron stained quartz are so similar, how do we tell them apart? There’s a trick to it, but it involves handling enough of at least two of the three to be able to spot the difference.

What is Carnelian?

Carnelian, Citrine, and Iron Stained Quartz are all quartz deep down, but they do have differences in their makeups.

Carnelian is a type of microcrystalline quartz that is found all over the world. It is a variety of chalcedony, which is the primary mineral which makes all those pretty patterns in agates. Carnelian (or Cornelian, as is historically accurate[i]) may described either an agate or a piece of chalcedony, as long as the colouring is correct.

These three pieces of Scottish carnelian came from the Ayrshire burns. The middle one shows the dimpling on the skin which can help you identify them.

Carnelians are yellow to brownish red coloured, with orange in the middle of that spectrum. These are the same colours which you see in iron stained quartz and citrine… so what defining features of carnelian make it possible to spot?

Tips for Identifying Carnelian Include:

This orange has the carnelian glow I like to talk about. It looks like someone tried to catch sunshine inside a stone. This turned out to be a banded agate, with banding in the white area.

--Carnelian will often have a dimpled outer shell.

-It may have swirls, whorls, or other patterns within it.

Cornelian is microcrystalline, meaning you need a microscope to see the tiny crystals in it.

-Carnelian can be yellow, red, orange, or light brown, or a combination of these.

This is one of Fox's pictures from way back when (@Sacred_Geometry) but I have never found another pic which truly captures the sunshine essence of carnelian.

-Carnelian can appear as patches of orange, yellow, or red colouring on other agates.

-Carnelian has a certain glow to it. When you hold it up to the light, that light should pass through the rock, giving a sort of warm orange-ish glow.

These carnelian tumbled stones came to us from Australia many moons ago. These reddish carnelians are a common colour. Get yours Here!

-Chalcedony can also come in botryoidal formation which is when it looks like bubbles. Fire agate is a good example of this.

What is Citrine?

Citrine is also a quartz and – here is where it gets weird – it is a quartz that has been affected by iron oxides during it’s formation. Usually, manganese, limonite, goethite, hematite, and limonite are common iron oxides which can be present in the formation of the silica molecules to give them the yellows or smoky hues which ultimately create citrine.

Real citrine is s rare that we don't even have any in stock. We borrowed these photos from the Smithsonian with permission.

Citrine is closely related to amethyst and goes through similar processes in the earth while forming. Both form in pegmatites and inside hydrothermal veins. It is the type and influx of iron oxides mixed with the heat and pressure of the earth which forms citrine – that and a few tens of millions of years or so.

How do you tell the difference between citrine, carnelian, and iron stained quartz, though?

Again, these were borrowed from the Smithsonian. Let me try and find available pics of rough citrine.

Tips for Identifying Citrine Include:

-Look for crystal formations. Chalcedony doesn’t grow in points. If it has points, then it is one of the two standard quartzes rather than the microcrystalline one.

This is baked amethyst, often called fake citrine because it is heat treated then sold as citrine. It is not truly natural, but it is still a crystal... it's just a burned one.

-Citrine forms the standard hexagonal quartz point structure but, as with quartz, can be massive (chonky).

-Most market citrine is amethyst which has been heated. The heat brings out the red colour. Citrine tends to have the same colouring throughout. Baked amethyst has orange to red in the points, but not in the base, which will be white.

<I couldn't steal it but I can link to it. This picture of natural citrine from Spain on Mindat demonstrates how citrine crystals take the same shape as quartz - the 6 sided points. This is because Citrine is a variety of quartz, in the same way that amethyst is.>

This is another 'fake' citrine. As you can see, the colour is all in the tip and not the base. Compare this picture to the Mindat citrine and you can easily tell the difference.

-Citrine can look like yellowish smoky quartz.

-Citrine which is treasured and cut tends to have good clarity, though it can be cloudy.

-Citrine gemstones are favoured for not having brown tones. The more expensive the gem, the clearer it will be.

Unfortunately we get a lot of the heat treated amethyst 'citrine' stones in stock. This is because the average crystal collector doesn't care as much about being natural as they do about having a full collection. As such, you can browse the citrine products we have in stock which we have bought in from old crystal collections. We will always tell you in the description if we think something is fake, lab grown, or heat treated.

What is Iron Stained Quartz?

Iron stained quartz is a little different to the above, but also very much the same because crystals are weird and life is like that sometimes.

This carved loveheart shaped crystal is iron-stained quartz. The hematite has made it red. It could even be a quartzite. It is hard to tell without the natural finish. This is marketed as Strawberry Quartz. You can learn more about that in our earlier blog.

Iron staining can occur during the formation of the quartz. A clear or milky white quartz forming in iron-rich ground will take on the colouring of the iron oxides present. This type of quartz will be colourful throughout, might have red, orange, or yellow spots of colour throughout, and can be very saturated in the colour.

Iron staining can also happen on the surface of the quartz crystal, seeping into it over time with groundwater and environmental factors. This type of iron stained quartz is easier to recognise because it looks as if you left a bit of quartz in a rusty bucket overnight.

Tips for Identifying Iron Stained Quartz Include:

-Does it look rusty? Probably iron staining. Specifically, siderite.

This iron stained quartz has a coating which looks like it is rusty. This is probably siderite but could be lots of other iron oxide minerals. Iron stained quartz can have surface stains or staining within the silica while it forms. This one has a surface stain.

-Is it red? This is probably hematite staining. The combination of red hematite and silica minerals which make up quartz are why Scottish jasper is so brilliantly red. Jasper is microcrystalline, like chalcedony. Our yellow jasper is similar but can be yellow by limonite or goethite oxides.

-The quartz might be grainy like sandstone. This sugar-crystal looking quartz is actually quartzite, metamorphosed quartz. These quartzite chunks might have spots of red, orange, or yellow in them, or be consistently coloured throughout. See our article about aventurine – or green quartzite – to learn more.

-Look for faces, it can come in standard hexagonal quartz crystals or in massive form.

You can tell that this quartz has slightly yellow hues to it. This was probably stained by limonite during it's formation.

-Did you find it in an area where there is rich, reddish soil, or a red, iron-smelling water nearby? This would indicate iron staining.

-There is a mistaken belief that iron staining is only surface discolouration. Iron staining can run all the way through a rock.

It’s not all bad if your rock has iron in it rather than being a citrine or a carnelian. Iron is often found in the same places as gold is found. There are countless videos and bloggers who advise that you should always smash your iron stained quartz and pan it to make sure there is no gold in it. I kind of disagree. Iron stained quartz is pretty on its own and the amount of gold you probably won’t find is miniscule.

This white and clear quartz has calcite crystals on it in solid white. It also has that yellow iron stain inside it, on that lower edge.

Did You Know..?

In America, they can use a product called "Iron Out" which removes iron staining from some rocks. The last time I looked for this in the UK I couldn't find it, but I just found it right now.

If you use these links to buy your Iron Out, I will make a small commission. These wee commissions help me to fund the blog. Thank you for your help.

In the UK, you can buy Iron Out chemicals on Amazon, here.

In the US, you can buy Iron Out from Amazon using this link.

We don't use Iron Out personally. I like them yellow, red, and orange.

Which is Most Commonly Found, Carnelian, Citrine, or Orange Quartz?

Of all three crystal types:

1. Iron-stained quartz is by far more common than the others in Central Scotland. It may not be the same where you live. However, I would guess that most of the UK, Canada, and the US is going to have iron stained quartz as the most common of the three.

   
   

2. Carnelian/Cornelian would be the next most commonly found crystal of the three. You find these in areas which were formerly volcanic, such as in Ayrshire, Fife, and Angus.

   
   

3. Citrine is actually one of the rarer prized gemstones. It is sought out for clarity to be used in jewellery. Citrine is a rare stone full stop[ii]. Definitely the rarest of the three: most citrine costume jewellery you find – including crystal bead bracelets – do not have real citrine.

If you are going rock hunting in the UK, look for chalcedony but assume iron stained quartz until you find the piece that looks different. Carnelian always has that nice colourful glow to it. Also, check out our blog post on ethical crystal hunting to make sure you do your bit to protect the land as you go.

Remember too that jasper and chalcedony are very similar. If you find an orange rock that isn’t transparent then it may be orange jasper, too. The possibilities are endless when it comes to rocks.

The whole world is made of them.

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[i] https://www.mindat.org/min-9333.html

[ii] https://gem-a.com/gem-hub/testing-rare-natural-citrine/