Rutilated quartz, a variety of quartz, is the perfect jewel for this holiday season. Ascertaining the stone’s hardness is difficult because of the hardness differences between quartz (7) and rutile (6). It emerges when rutiles appear within the quartz. Rutile is a mineral composed of titanium dioxide which crystallizes. They are the amazing thin needles of color (often gold and silver strands) within the mineral; these needles remind me of those found on the majestic pine on a crisp and snow-covered morning.
Apart from these shoots of color, if the rutile needles are fine enough then star effects (asterisms) can materialize in other gems; pine topped off with a star, ring a bell? Like Jolly Ol’ St. Nick, rutilated quartz is found all over the globe: Australia, Brazil, Madagascar, Norway, Pakistan and the US. Similar to its availability, it can come in an array of colors but reddish-gold is standard. I’ve even seen them with black tourmaline needles.
Since the needles of color are the hallmarks of the stone, it also referred to as Cupid’s darts, Venus hair stone, Fleches d’amour, The Goddess’ tresses and Thetis’ hair stone. Suggestive of its nicknames, rutilated quartz is an ancient stone that has been used in jewelry and religious materials across time and cultures. Due to its ancient lineage, many have saturated the stone with great metaphysical properties.
I suggest that as you reflect on what you’re grateful for at your holiday celebrations, use rutilated quartz to help you reflect on and articulate what you are thankful for. Or, imagine how handy this gem will be at midnight during your New Year’s Eve party. Since the stone is said to aid in getting to the root of an issue, maybe you will finally figure out why you can never keep those pesky resolutions! Also, because this is the gem of smooth transitions, use it to help you kick-start 2011!
