Rutile Quartz
Quartz & Crystal Family
Rutile quartz is another catalogue label for rutilated quartz, not a separate mineral. It is quartz enclosing needles of rutile, a titanium dioxide mineral; this artwork emphasizes a dense cloud of very fine golden needles.
Identity
- Material or variety
- Quartz
- Scientific or material identity
- Quartz
- Classification
- Natural mineral or mineral variety
- Aliases or trade names
- Rutilated quartz · Venus’ hair stone
- Composition or formula
- SiO₂
- Crystal system or structure
- Trigonal
- Geological or manufacturing origin
- Can form in more than one geological environment, or combines several materials.
- Mohs hardness
- 7
- Specific gravity
- 2.65
Origins
Australia · Austria · Brazil · Pakistan · USA
Appearance & optical properties
clear quartz crowded with very fine golden needle inclusions.
History & discovery
Rutile received its mineral name in 1800, from a Latin word referring to a reddish color. Quartz displaying its needles was used in nineteenth-century jewelry and gained renewed attention in the later twentieth century through expressive gem cutting.
Uses & care
- Common uses
- Dense, fine-needled material is cut into cabochons, faceted gems, beads, and carvings, while intact crystals are collected as mineral specimens.
- Handling and cleaning
- Clean with warm water, mild detergent, and a soft brush. Keep it away from harder stones and sharp impacts, and avoid steam or ultrasonic cleaning where inclusions meet fractures or the surface.
Jewellery
5 pieces of Rutile Quartz jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.
Star-Needle Brooch
Brooch
Golden rutile needles meet at the centre of a quartz star.
Filament Crown
Crown
A crown of quartz panels where gold filaments weave the stones together.
Rutile Halo Earrings
Earrings
Two quartz halos catch golden threads of rutile in every turn.
Golden Star Ring
Ring
An imagined ring of quartz whose golden rutile needles radiate from one point, like a star caught in clear stone.
Star Needle Collar
Necklace
An imagined Art Deco collar of rutile quartz plaques, each holding a star of golden needles radiating from its centre.