Citrine is a variety of Quartz gemstone. They range in colour from lemony yellow to an earthy brown, with brilliant oranges in-between. Generally the most highly valued Citrines are the deeply saturated reddish - orange coloured gemstones. With a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, Citrine can be cut to almost any shape. Citrine gemstones take their name from the Latin 'citrus' and the French 'citron', meaning lemon.