Citrine (Sunehla) Price in Pakistan: Per Carat, Per Ratti and Fair Value

Citrine (sunehla) is one of the most affordable natural yellow stones in Pakistan, and its price depends mostly on colour, cut and whether the colour is natural or produced by heating. Clarity matters less than with many stones, because good citrine is usually clean to the eye. Size raises the price more gently than it does for sapphire, since large clean quartz crystals are not rare. That makes citrine a good-value stone, but also one where it is easy to overpay when it is sold under a grander name.

This guide explains each price factor, how per-ratti quotes work, and how to compare offers. We do not type figures; the table below is built from our own listings and refreshed monthly. To see stones photographed one at a time, browse our citrine collection.

Citrine prices from our listings

The table shows the lowest, typical and highest price per stone in our citrine listings, with the same figures per carat and per ratti.

Citrine · October 2026 edition · PKR, from GemStore listings. 1 ratti = 0.91 carat.

Weight	Weights	Stones	Per carat	Per ratti
3 – 6 carat	4.5 – 5.7 ct	6	Rs 2,300 – Rs 2,600	Rs 2,100 – Rs 2,400
6 – 10 carat	6.1 – 9.6 ct	4	Rs 1,900 – Rs 2,600	Rs 1,750 – Rs 2,400

Use the table as a check on any quote you receive. If a seller asks far more than the top of our range for an ordinary-sized citrine, ask what justifies it. If a seller asks far less, ask whether the stone is natural quartz at all. For prices across all stones, see the monthly gemstone price guide.

Why citrine costs what it does

Citrine is yellow to orange quartz. Quartz is one of the most plentiful minerals on earth, and clean crystals large enough to cut big stones are found in several countries, with Brazil the best-known source. Much of the citrine on the market is amethyst or smoky quartz that has been heated, which turns it yellow to orange. Plenty of supply and an established treatment keep prices modest compared with yellow sapphire (pukhraj) or yellow topaz.

That modest price is the main reason people in Pakistan choose it: a large, bright yellow stone for a ring or pendant at a cost that does not need a family meeting. Our article on citrine and its traditions covers why it is worn.

The factors that set a citrine's price

1. Colour

Colour is the largest factor. Citrine runs from pale lemon through golden yellow to deep orange and reddish-brown. In the trade:

• Pale lemon: often natural colour, usually the least costly per carat, though some buyers prefer it.
• Golden yellow: a clear, warm yellow without brown is the most popular in Pakistan, especially for gold settings.
• Deep orange to reddish ("Madeira"): rich and eye-catching. These deeper colours usually come from heating and are valued for their depth.

Brown or smoky tints and patchy colour lower the price. Look at the stone in daylight and indoor light; some citrine looks brown under warm bulbs.

2. Natural or heated colour

Natural citrine, with colour formed in the ground, is less common and usually paler. Heated citrine is the norm. Heating is stable and accepted, and the stone is still natural quartz, but it should be disclosed. Some buyers will pay more for an unheated stone with documentation; most simply choose the colour they like. Heated stones sometimes show a slight reddish tinge or uneven colour at the edges. Only a lab can give a firm opinion, and for most citrine the cost of testing is hard to recover.

3. Clarity

Citrine is a type I clarity stone, meaning it is normally eye-clean. Visible inclusions, cloudiness or cracks should reduce the price noticeably. A perfectly clean stone is expected rather than special, so do not pay a premium simply for "no inclusions".

4. Cut

Cut makes a bigger difference to citrine than many buyers expect. A well-cut stone is bright across the whole face. A shallow one shows a dull, see-through window in the middle; a deep one looks dark. Precision-cut and fancy-cut citrine (checkerboard tops, concave cuts, laser-cut patterns) take more labour and usually cost more than a standard oval of the same weight. Compare stones of the same cut style when weighing up quotes.

5. Size

Larger stones cost more in total, but the price per carat rises only gently with size, because big clean citrine crystals are not scarce. This is the opposite of pukhraj, where the rate per carat climbs steeply. If you want a large yellow stone, citrine gives much more size for the budget.

Names that change the price

A lot of overpaying comes from the label rather than the stone. Watch for these:

• "Sunehri pukhraj" or "pukhraj (citrine)": pukhraj is yellow sapphire, a far harder and more valuable corundum. Citrine sold under that name should still be priced as citrine. Our guide to yellow sapphire versus citrine shows how to tell them apart, and what makes pukhraj cost more explains the price gap.
• "Topaz" or "golden topaz": older trade names sometimes called citrine "topaz quartz". True yellow topaz is a separate mineral; see yellow topaz prices.
• "Lab citrine" or unexplained "created" stones: synthetic quartz is grown in factories and should be priced well below natural citrine.

Imitations that should cost much less

Yellow glass is the most common fake. It is softer, often shows round bubbles under a loupe, and can feel warmer than quartz. Synthetic citrine looks too uniform and clean. Since natural citrine is affordable anyway, imitations are mostly found in cheap fashion jewellery, but ask for "natural citrine" to be written on the invoice, and say whether it is heated.

How per-ratti pricing works for citrine

Some sellers in Pakistan quote citrine per ratti, especially when it is sold as a Jupiter stone for astrology. Others quote per carat or per piece. To compare:

• Ask which ratti. The standard gemstone ratti is 0.91 carat (about 0.182 g). The jeweller's sunari ratti is about 0.1215 g, or 0.61 carat. The same rate on the smaller ratti buys about a third less stone.
• Convert to per carat. Our carat to ratti converter does the arithmetic.
• Use the loose weight. A ring weight includes metal and tells you nothing about the stone.

Because citrine is not costly per carat, the cutting and setting can be a large part of a ring's total price. Ask for the stone and the ring to be priced separately.

Ametrine and other yellow quartz

Ametrine is quartz that is part purple and part yellow in the same stone, a natural mix of amethyst and citrine. It is priced on how sharp and balanced the two colours are, and usually costs more than plain citrine of the same size. Lemon quartz, a greenish-yellow quartz, is often sold beside citrine; it is a separate trade name, frequently produced by treatment, and should be labelled as such. If you want purple instead, compare amethyst, which shares citrine's hardness and care.

How to compare two quotes

1. Confirm both stones are natural quartz, and whether each is heated.
2. Get the weight in carats, or in ratti with the ratti named.
3. Compare colour in daylight photos taken side by side if possible.
4. Check for a dull window in the centre, which is a sign of a poor cut.
5. Compare cut styles like with like: a laser-cut stone and a plain oval are different products.
6. Only then compare price per carat.

Budget tiers by filter

You can browse the shop by budget. These links show all stones; narrow them to citrine on the page that opens.

• Under 5,000 rupees: a sensible place to start with citrine; the table above shows how much of our stock sits in this band.
• 5,000 to 20,000 rupees: look here for larger stones, deeper colour and special cuts.
• 20,000 to 50,000 rupees: few citrines need a budget this size; if a quote lands here, ask what sets the stone apart.
• Over 50,000 rupees: rarely needed for citrine. A quote in this band deserves a close look at the label.

Two stones from our collection at slightly different sizes show how colour and size work together: a 4.85 carat natural citrine and a 5.50 carat natural citrine.

Keeping citrine's colour and value

Citrine is 7 on the Mohs scale, hard enough for a ring worn daily. Its colour can fade with long exposure to strong sunlight or heat, so store it in a closed box and keep it off sunny windowsills and car dashboards. Clean it with warm soapy water and a soft brush. A faded or scratched stone is worth less, so the care pays for itself. Citrine is also a November birthstone, often given alongside topaz; our November stones guide compares the two.

Citrine in tradition

In South Asian practice citrine is linked with Jupiter and is sometimes suggested as a lower-cost alternative to pukhraj, though many astrologers insist on yellow sapphire. These are beliefs and not promised results. If you are buying on an astrologer's advice, confirm that citrine is acceptable to them before you pay, and agree which ratti their weight refers to. See our Sagittarius gemstones page for the usual pairings.

Buying citrine from GemStore

Every citrine we list is photographed on its own, weighed loose and described with any known treatment. You pay by Cash on Delivery anywhere in Pakistan, can open the parcel and inspect the stone before paying the rider, and can return it within 7 days. For other yellow stones, see our yellow gemstones page.

Shop the stones: citrine.

The beliefs described here are traditions, shared for interest. They are not guaranteed outcomes, religious rulings or medical advice.