Yellow stones: list, shades, symbolism, treatments and care

← Back to Guide to stones by color

Citrine, yellow jasper, tiger's eye, amber, pyrite, heliodor, imperial topaz... Yellow stones, their shades, hardness, symbolism and the pitfalls to watch for.

Key points

Shades	Pale yellow, lemon, honey, golden, brassy metallic yellow
Best-known stones	Citrine, tiger's eye, yellow jasper, amber, pyrite
Hardest	Heliodor (7.5 to 8), topaz (8), citrine (7)
Softest	Native sulphur (1.5 to 2.5), amber (2 to 2.5)
To check	Citrine (often heat-treated amethyst), “golden quartz”
Symbolism	Sun, gold, light; betrayal in medieval Europe

One yellow for each family

Yellow is a contrast colour: it catches the eye, yet it is rarely found naturally in minerals. It comes from iron (citrine, yellow jasper), from fibrous inclusions that scatter light (tiger's eye), from the structure of the mineral itself (sulphur and pyrite, which are yellow by nature) or from fossilised resin (amber). So this colour covers solid quartz, gemstones, sulphides and organic materials. The page orange stones describes the neighbouring shade.

The main yellow stones

Stone	Shade	Hardness	Good to know
Citrine	pale yellow to orange	7	quartz; often heat-treated amethyst
Yellow jasper	mustard to ochre yellow	6.5 to 7	impure, opaque microcrystalline quartz
Tiger's eye	golden yellow to brown, chatoyant	7	fibrous quartz; do not saw or polish
Amber	honey yellow	2 to 2.5	fossil resin; frequent imitations
Pyrite	brassy metallic yellow	6 to 6.5	iron sulphide; keep dry
Native sulphur	bright yellow	1.5 to 2.5	flammable; irritating dust
Heliodor (yellow beryl)	greenish yellow to golden	7.5 to 8	beryl: the emerald family
Imperial topaz	yellow to orange	8	perfect cleavage; fragile under impact
Golden quartz	golden yellow	7 if it is quartz	trade name: ask what it really is
Golden obsidian	black with a golden sheen	5 to 5.5	volcanic glass; sheen shows at an angle
Mookaite	yellow, red, cream	about 6.5 to 7	siliceous rock from Australia

A few details

Citrine is a yellow quartz, but most citrines on the market are heat-treated amethyst; natural citrine, which is paler, is rarer. Tiger's eye is a fibrous quartz with a silky lustre (chatoyancy), formed in cracks in rocks containing crocidolite. Pyrite is an iron sulphide with a brassy metallic yellow; it has been nicknamed “fool's gold”, because real gold is malleable while pyrite is brittle. Heliodor is a yellow variety of beryl, the emerald family. Native sulphur is a bright yellow, soft, flammable element: see the precautions. “Golden quartz” is a trade name; ask what it really is.

What yellow suggests, across cultures

Yellow is one of the colours whose symbolism reverses most from one culture to another. In the Far East it was the colour of power: under the Chinese empires, only the emperor could wear it, and the mythical first sovereign is called the “Yellow Emperor”. In medieval Europe, by contrast, it took on negative meanings: the yellow of Judas's clothing in paintings, the colour of treachery, felony and lies. Gold, close to it, suggests glory, wisdom and the sacred (haloes and golden backgrounds in icons). In modern crystal healing, yellow is linked to the solar plexus chakra, to confidence and to mental clarity: a recent convention. See the solar plexus chakra.

Treatments, glass and imitations

Citrine: heating of amethyst. A very orange, uniform yellow is almost always heat-treated. Yellow glass also imitates citrine.
Amber: copal, plastic, reconstituted or “pressed” amber; see amber.
Pyrite: sometimes confused with chalcopyrite (softer, with greenish reflections); beads cut “in the style of pyrite” may be composites.
Yellow jasper: sometimes dyed to strengthen the colour.
Topaz: natural yellow is rare; very vivid shades may result from treatments. See topaz.

To tell real stone, glass and plastic apart, read real or fake stone.

Care and pairings

Citrine and yellow jasper are rinsed in lukewarm water and dried; amber, pyrite and sulphur are wiped dry. Avoid prolonged sunlight on amber and on dyed stones. See the purification table. Yellow stands out well next to violet (violet stones, its complementary colour), black (black stones) or white.