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- 1. Rutilated Quartz
- 2. History and Meaning of Rutilated Quartz
- 3. Physico-Chemical Properties of Rutilated Quartz
- 4. Varieties of Rutilated Quartz
- 5. Rutilated Quartz Healing Properties
- 6. Rutilated Quartz Metaphysical Properties
- 7. Rutilated Quartz for Sale
Rutilated Quartz
Every gemstone is unique on its own but if there was a uniqueness contest, rutilated quartz could emerge victorious. Perfectly clear crystals boldly displaying their ‘internal world’ – rays, stars, and bizarre patterns made up by golden needles – it is fantastic, isn’t it? If this description piqued your interest, make sure to read further – we’ll prove that rutilated quartz isn’t just charming, it is also a powerful talisman and healer.
History and Meaning of Rutilated Quartz
Rutilated quartz was well-known in antiquity. The ancient Romans called it the Hair of Venus, and the Ancient Greeks – the Hair of Aphrodite. There is a legend explaining such a romantic name.
Once, the goddess Venus swam in a mountain spring and dropped a strand of her golden hair. The goddess did not see the loss right away. The next day, she decided to return to Earth and pick her hair up, but time runs differently in the realms of the divine beings. A day passed on Olympus equals months on Earth. By that time, the mountain spring was covered with an ice cap. Venus was upset but her hair looked so beautiful in sparkling ice that she changed her mind about retrieving it. Instead, she turned the ice into a clear stone so that no one could steal her precious locks.
It wasn’t uncommon to associate the enchanting stone with gods. Even the stern Vikings got to acknowledge the beauty and divinity of the crystals interspersed with golden threads. They believed that rutilated quartz was a gift from Freya, the goddess of beauty and love.
Eastern countries revered rutilated quartz as well. They called the variety featuring black inclusions ‘Ali's Beard’ and offered their own explanation for its origin. Ali is the brother of the Prophet Muhammad who lived in the 7th century and was the spiritual enlightener of Muslims. After his death, a mosque named after him was built near Baghdad. Shortly after its construction, people unearthed a clear mineral with black hair-like inclusions. Ali’s followers saw a symbolic meaning in the stone so similar to the beard of their spiritual leader.
The mineral can boast many other informal names, as beautiful as the stone itself. Cupid's Darts, Arrows of Love (Flèches D'amour in French), Angel hair stone, hedgehog stone, and others. When it comes to the official name of the mineral - rutilated quartz- Rutilus translates as reddish, and quartz is supposedly a modified "twardy" (Polish dialect) meaning hard.
Physico-Chemical Properties of Rutilated Quartz
Rutilated quartz is a variety of rock crystal, which is predominantly silicon dioxide SiO2, permeated with inclusions of titanium dioxide (rutile). It is these inclusions that create fine hair- and needle-like patterns making this type of quartz distinctive and sought-after.
More often than not, needle inclusions have the form of rays, while some specimens may exhibit intricate irregular stars and triangles.
In terms of color, rutile inclusions are often golden-red or black. At the same time, quartz stones may accommodate gray, green, brown, and red rays courtesy of goethite, actinolite, tourmaline, riebeckite, lepidocrocite, and hornblende.
Rutilated quartz is fairly hard (its hardness is 7.0 on the Mohs scale) and dense (2.6-2.65 g/cm3) mineral with a glassy, and thanks to rutile, even diamond luster. Most specimens are transparent with the exception of rose or smoky quartz, which can bear rutile inclusions as well.
The majority of large stones have significant surface damage because quartz is softer than rutile. Thus, the hair-like growths destroy the stone from the inside.
Varieties of Rutilated Quartz
Every specimen of rutilated quartz is unique - it is impossible to find two stones with an identical pattern. Nevertheless, stones with similar appearance were recognized as distinct varieties and got their own names:
• Cupid's Darts – this is an unofficial name of black-haired quartz;
• Star Rutile Quartz – a beautiful variety of quartz displaying a golden 6-beam star formed by bundles of fine rutile strands;
• Sagenite - the pattern of this type includes geometric shapes with sharp corners;
• Multicolored rutilated quartz - a rare variety showing off inclusions of yellow, red, and green;
• Kola rutilated quartz is a translucent spotted stone with green or black hairs mined on the Kola Peninsula in Russia.
• Rutilated smoky quartz – in this type, needles of rutile sit within smoky quartz, which is translucent and of either gray or brown color.
Rutilated Quartz Healing Properties
Rutilated quartz is connected to the solar plexus chakra, which affects the functioning of internal organs. Due to the healing vibrations emanating from the mineral, it has a beneficial effect on the spleen, pancreas, liver, and stomach.
The healing potential of the mineral doesn’t stop there. It is able to bring a lot of benefits to the entire body. In particular, it:
• harmonizes emotional state, normalizes sleep, as well as helps get out of depression and order one’s thoughts;
• strengthens the immune system;
• favorably affects the hormonal system of a woman, eliminates such dysfunctions as amenorrhea (missing periods) and ovulation disorders;
• supports and improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
• prevents hair loss and promotes its growth.
Besides that, lithotherapy utilizes red-haired rutilated quartz to treat diseases of the respiratory system.
Rutilated Quartz Metaphysical Properties
In medieval Europe, rutilated quartz was highly valued by people who had supernatural powers. They believed that the mineral was able to discover the gift of clairvoyance in a person and show them portals to the other world. The stone is also suitable for those who do not have any extrasensory abilities whatsoever. By affecting a person’s habits and traits, it is capable of making their personality more likable.
Rutilated quartz is a builder of relationships. It enhances a family bond and aids to find true friends. Apart from that, it protects its owner from evil as well as deceitful and envious people.
Among other amazing metaphysical properties of rutilated quartz are:
• helps combat fears and self-doubt;
• gives the energy to overcome stress, pressure, and adversity;
• increases sympathy to the feelings of others;
• develops creative inclinations;
• facilitates the acquisition of skills and knowledge.
Rutilated Quartz for Sale
Laced with golden strands, rutilated quartz will make you quiver with excitement. Want to get this angelic stone for your mineral collection or custom jewelry needs? Then you’ve come to the right place. We have a beautiful selection of rutilated quartz for sale, and one of these (and more if you wish) stones can be yours at a very attractive price. We are glad to offer loose stones, strands, one-of-a-kind gems, as well as crystals set in precious metals to help you materialize your creative vision. Our faceted stones and cabochons boast the best ratio of cost and quality, so don’t hesitate to check out what we have in store for you.
