Rutilated Quartz

Clear quartz threaded with golden or reddish needles of the mineral rutile.

Rutilated Quartz specimen — Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify rutilated quartz

Clear quartz with fine gold, copper or black needles inside.
Hardness 7.
Needles run in straight lines, often criss-crossing.

Often confused with

Quartz
Plain quartz has no needle inclusions.
Compare side by side
Rutile
Rutile alone is opaque and metallic-looking.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Minas Gerais and Bahia, Brazil
Madagascar

Uses

Gemstones and cabochons.

Rock tumbling

Great for tumbling.

Did you know?

It's sometimes called 'Venus hair stone' for its golden threads.

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