It’s November, the month of citrine, a gemstone I find myself feeling oddly sorry for.
My husband’s birthstone is citrine, and I often feel I should own one; but personally, it’s a difficult gem to get excited about. I don’t think it’s just me: Ask anyone their favorite gemstone, and I’d put money on citrine being a rare, or even nonexistent, response.
But now that I think of it, maybe that’s its appeal. Could citrine be the sleeper hit of the year?
Pantone hasn’t released its 2027 Color of the Year yet, but I did a little dive into the companies that have, and many of the shades forecast for next year live somewhere in citrine’s general neighborhood of orange, yellow, and brown. Dutch Boy selected Deep Rooted, an earthy orange, as its 2027 Color of the Year. Benjamin Moore went green with Webster Green, but its corresponding palette includes Antique Copper (a warm brown) and Shakespeare Tan (a golden neutral). And consumer trend forecaster WGSN named Energy Orange one of five key colors for spring-summer 2027.
I’m still waiting on Pinterest’s 2027 forecast, one of my favorite announcements of the year, which usually correctly predicts the most demanded shades for the year ahead. But whether or not it gives us another warm hue, citrine suddenly finds itself surrounded by colors that make a pretty good case for reconsidering it.
Citrine isn’t just the one shade of golden yellow it’s often associated with. It’s easy to picture the bright yellow version of the stone first, but it actually ranges from pale yellow to golden orange, reddish orange, and brownish orange. GIA notes that some of its most popular contemporary shades are earthy deep brownish or reddish oranges—which sounds considerably more compelling to me than simply “yellow gemstone.” Honey, amber, cognac, burnt orange, warm brown—now we’re talking.
And given the influx of statement pieces on the market as of late, citrine is the perfect candidate for one, as scale is one of its greatest advantages. Its relative affordability gives designers a lot of room to play. Most citrine on the market gets its golden color through heat treatment of amethyst, and because the material remains comparatively accessible, cutters and designers can experiment with large crystals, custom shapes, carvings, and designs where the gemstone itself makes a serious visual impact. Behind the counter, that’s one way to talk about it. Citrine doesn’t need to masquerade as a precious rarity or compete with yellow sapphire or fancy colored diamonds on value, because it has its own thing going: warmth, size, color, and an almost autumnal glow that can range from cheerful to wonderfully moody.
But the key to a great citrine jewel often relies on the creativity of its designer. A small oval citrine sitting politely in a standard setting probably isn’t going to turn heads like the ones pictured here. Give us a giant fantasy-cut stone. Carve it. Put it in a chunky gold ring. Pair a cognac-colored citrine with onyx or dark enamel (as Zome has done), or put one of those warm, rusty oranges next to a completely unexpected color.
Citrine might never be the most popular gemstone out there. But with the right color and design treatment, as seen in the jewels pictured here, it might just steal the show.
Top: Bangle bracelet in 18k yellow gold and silver with citrine, $7,950; Fred Leighton
