Rutilated quartz
Variety SiO2
Also called Venus hair stone and Sagenitic quartz
About it
Clear or smoky quartz threaded with fine needles of rutile in gold, copper-red, or silver. Bahia, Brazil, is the best-known source; it is cut into cabochons, spheres, and beads.
- Type
- Variety
- Group
- Quartz variety
- Formula
- SiO2
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 7
- Specific gravity
- 2.65–2.66
- Streak
- white
- Lustre
- vitreous (glassy)
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Colours
- colourless or smoky with golden, red, or silver needles
- Transparency
- transparent, translucent
- Cleavage and fracture
- none; conchoidal fracture
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.