Rutilated quartz, also known as Venus Hair Stone (Venus is the Roman name for Aphrodite), Cupid’s Arrows (Eros, or Cupid, was Aphrodite’s son) and Sagenite, among others, is a naturally occuring phenomenon. Quartz (Silica) is a plentiful mineral and can be found in many areas across the globe: the United States, Madagascar, Australia and Brazil, to name a few, and is used in many applications such as abrasives, paints, circuitry, mortar, glass and counter tops. What a versatile stone.
In this Tidbit, however, I will be focusing on the gemstone aspect. For jewelry, quartz, in its crystalline form, is considered a semiprecious stone and comes in various guises such as amethyst, citrine, rock crystal and rose quartz, among others. Chances are, you already own a piece of quartz jewelry. However, of all quartz varieties, rutilated quartz, is one of my favorites.
Many gemstones share similar growing conditions and can be found in close proximity to each other, even sometimes forming one within the other. As in this case, inclusions called rutile, which is a mineral that is mostly comprised of titanium dioxide, forms within colorless to slightly milky quartz giving the appearance of thread or needle-like shots of color in gold, red, green or brown. My favorite, and the one considered the most valuable, is golden rutile, although all are beautiful and unusual due to the spontaneous formation of the rutile captured within the clear quartz. As each stone is unique, with its own abstract pattern, no two will appear alike, giving jewelry made with this stone a truly one of a kind identity. To give you a better appreciation, following are links to a set of jewelry, necklace and earrings, I’ve made using rutilated quartz. As you will see, this stone makes a very dramatic and exquisite presentation. And, when viewed at various angles and light conditions, the golden rutile glows beautifully.
Folklore for rutilated quartz espouses that this stone helps with healing, fear, depression and indecisiveness. It is also purported to protect one from negativity, slow the aging process and promote self-understanding. As for me, I am content to just admire its unique beauty.
I hope you enjoyed this Tidbit. Thanks for stopping by.
tracy
the artisan collection gemstone jewelry blog 