While citrine might be made up of chemicals that could be considered toxic, citrine is not dangerous.
Before the advent of modern medicine, societies turned to this holistic quartz to heal their ailments.
The following article provides additional information on citrine and its purportedly useful properties.
Is Citrine Toxic? (Let’s Learn More)
What Does It Mean To be Toxic?
First, let’s be clear what it means (at least in this article) to be considered toxic.
We accept something as toxic if it could cause serious physical bodily harm or death.
What Is Citrine?
Citrine is known as the Stone of Summer.
It is a kind of quartz, characterized by its color.
The base of its chemical composition is SiO2.
Its color comes from traces of iron in the quartz.
It can be anywhere from pale yellow to a bright shade of amber, or even to brown.
The hexagonal system within the mineral gives it a smoky appearance.
Citrine has been found in various forms as far back as 300 B.C.
Egyptians created talismans out of these gemstones to calm tempers and increase prosperity.
In later centuries, people fashioned them into rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
Is Citrine Considered Toxic?
Citrine contains silicon and iron, and may as well contain other chemical substances.
Citrine is classified usually by its color rather than its exact chemical formulation.
It is possible that a piece of citrine could also contain other chemicals that contribute to its color, including other metals or even asbestos.
All of these substances could seriously injure or even kill a human.
However…the reason citrine is considered toxic but not dangerous is that it is extremely difficult to get the damaging substances into the human body in an amount sufficient to cause harm.
Members of the quartz family are really stable and pretty hard.
Quartz is not water soluble.
For these reasons, the bad stuff in citrine that could cause harm to humans can’t really get out of the citrine and into humans.
Yes, it is possible that trace trace trace amounts of citrine could be transferred to your hand by holding it or wearing it.
It is also possible that a trace of citrine stone could be sloughed off at the molecular level while soaking in water.
But in general, the normal ways people use and utilize citrine (displaying it in the home, wearing it as jewelry, holding it in the hand) will not cause a the human touching it to absorb or otherwise take in any of the substances in the citrine.
That being said, even though damage to a human from citrine is unlikely, there are a few ways people could take harm from citrine.
The first way is to breath the rock dust made when mining, cutting, grinding, or polishing citrine.
It’s pretty bad to inhale the dust, especially if you are exposed repeatedly and extensively over time.
Its not a good idea to grind up the stone to put in food or drink.
While a larger piece of the stone could pass through the intestines quickly, ground up citrine might not pass through the body as quickly, giving the human body more time to absorb something it ought not.
Water Soaks/Gem Water
It is really common to soak quartz-type crystals or gems in water, such as bath water, spas, or even water bottles before drinking.
In general, we choose to avoid soaking minerals of any kind in the water that we intend to drink.
While we can be reasonably sure we know the identity of the chemical composition of our specimens, we can’t always be sure that they don’t contain something that wouldn’t rather put into our bodies.
Next, water baths for crystals (while relaxing for you) can be damaging to the crystals.
How Do I Keep Myself Safe From The Toxicity Of Citrine?
Citrine is safe so long as you don’t breath in citrine dust, drink ground up citrine, or eat it.
We also recommend avoiding dropping it on any exposed toes or fingers.
You might also like:
- Carnelian vs Citrine: What’s The Difference?
- What’s The Difference Between Calcite and Citrine?
- Is Serpentine Toxic?
