Rutile

Titanium dioxide, forming red-brown to black striated prisms or golden needles inside quartz.

Rutile specimen — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify rutile

Deep red to black prisms with lengthwise striations.
Very bright, almost metallic luster.
Often as golden hair-like needles inside quartz.

Often confused with

Cassiterite
Cassiterite is much heavier and usually lacks striations.
Compare side by side
Tourmaline
Tourmaline is lighter and has a triangular cross-section.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Graves Mountain, Georgia
Minas Gerais, Brazil
Swiss Alps
Beach sands of Australia

Uses

Titanium metal and white titanium dioxide pigment.

Rock tumbling

Can be tumbled with care.

Did you know?

Rutile bends light even more strongly than diamond does.

Think you could spot it from a blurry close-up?

Play today's Rocksday