Rutilated Quartz Benefits, Properties and Meanings

The lower the iron oxide content, the darker the strands of rutile will be, with some even appearing to be dark blue/ black. These varieties will be known as 'black rutilated quartz' or 'blue rutilated quartz'.

The quartz crystals themselves vary in color. Some are clear and transparent, so-called 'clear quartz', while others may be opaque and foggy-looking, known as 'smokey quartz'.

The beauty of rutilated quartz is its unique appearances, where even the thickness of the rutile strands will vary. Some are exceptionally fine, very needle/syringe-like in appearance while others will be thicker, chunkier, and wider. 

The inclusions can be sparse or dense, some will cluster in star-like formations, not unlike a firework display, while others will be very scant and dispersed.

Alternate Names of Rutilated Quartz

There are a few poetic names of rutilated quartz which reflect the beauty of this gorgeous gemstone, including 'Angel's Hair', 'Venus Hair' and 'Cupid's Darts'. These delightful descriptions all touch on a similar theme - That of love, beauty, feminine energy and ethereal romance.

These evocative connotations reveal an idyllic charm contained within the once-overlooked gemstone, neglected and discarded for decades until some enterprising miner found beauty and value amidst the rubble.

History of Rutilated Quartz

Rutilated quartz was usually unnoticed and excluded by gemstone aficionados and merchants. In ordinary circumstances, a gemstone's value will depend on how 'perfect' it is. Polished, inclusion-free, clear quartz crystals were what the market demanded.

Anything less than this was discarded and not regarded as having any value. This was for practical as well as aesthetic reasons, as quartz was often mined for use in lenses, which needed utmost clarity to be of any use.

This all changed in the twentieth century however when some Brazilian miners decided to take a risk and bring some of the rutilated quartz with them to Salvador. Rutilated quartz underwent a rags-to-riches transformation, quickly gaining popularity and making up for lost time.

No longer thrown out, miners and sorters would now be seeking the rutilated quartz gemstones as they became quite fashionable, especially for those who wished to stand out from the crowd with a truly unique piece.

Properties of Rutilated Quartz

Quartz crystal are around a 7-7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and have a slew of practical uses. This hardness makes quartz very scratch-resistant and durable, so it was used in optical lenses before glass-making was refined.

Still today quartz is used in making watches, UV lenses and for sharpening objects or sand-blasting. Quartz is a good electrical isolator, (as opposed to a conductor) so it can be used for that purpose too. In fact, the rutile strands within rutilated quartz are actually quite fragile, only surviving due to the layer of hardy quartz that envelopes them.

Rutilated Quartz Mining

Quartz is a very abundant material and can be found all over the world, especially in places where large basalt and rhyolite eruptions have occurred. Quartz is being mined in Brazil, the United States, China, Egypt, and Mexico among other countries and you will find rutilated quartz in areas where quartz is located.

Because Rutilated Quartz develops its metallic sheen only after exposure to light or heat, it has historically been used for a variety of ceremonial purposes because of its shining beauty. It was also used in trade by ancient tribes due to the demand for more attractive jewelry among women. Some tribal leaders would even expose the quartz to sunlight in order to make it appear more attractive to potential buyers.