Rutile In Quartz

Quartz in its purest form is absolutely colorless, the gemological world refers to a colorless gem as 'white'. Impurities in quartz can impart a color to the stone and this is how, gems like amethyst and citrine are formed. When you talk about rutile in quartz, you could really not refer to rutile as an impurity. This is because the rutile exists as distinct needle like structures in the quartz. The term rutilated quartz is oftenused to refer to such stones. 

Going by conventions and standard practices followed in the gemstone world, a gem with less or no inclusions is considered to have a higher value. We all know that, there have to be exceptions to every rule and gemstones are no different. In the case of rutilated quartz, it is the fine inclusions in the stone that add value to the stone. In the retail market, a piece of gem quality rutile quartz could be four to five times more expensive than, clear white quartz. 

So if inclusions are fine in the case of rutilated quartz, how do you define the quality of a piece of this quartz. To begin with, a good gem would have clearly defined needle shaped rutile embedded in it. No cracks and breaks should be visible to the naked eye, these flaws can distract attention from the beautiful rutile formations. 

And what about the concentration of rutile needles in quartz,  which stone should you choose. We can broadly classify rutilated quartz gems as being  sparsely, moderately or heavily populated with rutile inclusions. You can make your choice based on your preference, many gem enthusiasts prefer a gem with very few rutile inclusions. This according to them, best showcases the beauty of every rutile needle in the stone. Moderately populated quartz is the most popular, you would ideally see 40-50% of clear quartz through the stone. When you talk about quartz that is heavily populated with rutile needles, the density of inclusions could be so high that, almost no portion of the stone can be seen through. 

How did the rutile needles get into quartz, after all quartz is a solid hard stone. Technically speaking the rutile inclusions are so fine, that they could be blown away to pieces by the winds. It might surprise some of you to know that, the formation of quartz in nature, begins with a liquid solution. The moisture evaporates over hundreds of thousands of years, this results in a hard rock formation that we refer to as quartz. The fact that the well formed rutile inclusions could exist within the quartz means that, the rutile formations were ready at a time when the quartz formation was still in its liquid state. The needles got entrapped in the formation process, their formation remains preserved for millions of years. 

What is the color of rutile inclusions in quartz. Since the rutile needles formed much before the quartz encapsulated them, they needles would be affected by environmental elements. This could change the surface color of rutile, commonly seen colors are golden yellow, brownish yellow, very dark yellow and near black. Rutilated quartz found in large rocks, these are then cut and shaped to be used in jewelry. As is generally the case, a single rutile quartz rock irrespective of its size, would show the same color for the rutile inclusions. 

Applications for rutilated quartz in jewelry are many, fine pieces are sometimes set in gold rings for men and women. Since the interest and excitement of wearing rutile quartz jewelry, lies  in the inclusions - designs with big carat stones best showcase the beauty of this unique variety of quartz. If you wish to have a unique gold or 925 silver jewel with rutilated quartz gems, go for the custom made option. You can define the parameters and insist on a quality and size of stone that suits your fancy.  

Kaisilver: This report on rutilated quartz is compiled by the experts at Kaisilver. We are always glad to share our passion for gems and jewelry. Rated as the global leader in online custom made jewelry, we can craft just about any jewel based on your designs or ours. Some of Thailand's most talented jewelry artisans and gem cutters, work on all our orders. We remain the ONLY high end jewelry provider to maintain the same superior quality standards for both gold and 925 silver jewelry. Contact our experts at sales@kaisilver.com if you need any information or have any requirements, related to gemstones and jewelry. We will be glad to assist you even if, you intend to buy nothing from us.