What is the mineral rutile used for?
The main uses for rutile are the manufacture of refractory ceramic, as a pigment, and for the production of titanium metal. Finely powdered rutile is a brilliant white pigment and is used in paints, plastics, paper, foods, and other applications that call for a bright white color.
What minerals are found in rutile?
Rutilated Quartz: A tumbled stone of rutilated quartz. Rutile can occur as needle-shaped crystals in minerals such as quartz, corundum, garnet, and andalusite.
Is rutile a rare mineral?
Rutile, often referred throughout history as Red Schorl,is a rare titanium oxide mineral that crystallizes in the form of grains, masses, prismatic crystals and long needle like crystals. These needle shaped crystals can be found penetrating other minerals such as Quartz, Amethyst, and Hematite.
What mineral is golden rutile?
Rutilated Quartz is a transparent Quartz with golden yellow Rutile inclusions that are in hairlike growths. The Rutile inclusions range from thin, sparse, and parallel, to thick, dense, and crisscrossed, and everything in-between.
How much is rutile worth?
According to Modern Jeweler, the demand for rutilated quartz by jewelry designers is so strong that nice cabochons are selling for as much as $20 or more per carat in the USA.
Where is rutile most commonly found?
Rutile is also mined from apatite veins in the Gjerstadvatnet and Vegårshei regions of Norway. It is widespread in the Alps and, in the United States, is abundant in Magnet Cove, Arkansas; in central Virginia; and on Shooting Creek, North Carolina. For detailed physical properties, see oxide mineral (table).
Is rutile an industrial mineral?
Despite its common occurrence and widespread use in manufacturing and industrial production, rutile has remained a relatively unknown mineral, until recently – when it was discovered to be particularly useful in rock and mineral research.
How do I know if I have rutile?
Keys to identifying rutile are its strong yellowish to reddish brown color, high relief, and extreme birefringence. Color – Usually red, red-brown or yellowish-brown. May be pleochroic. Interference colors – Interference colors may not show due to the strong color of the mineral.
Is Golden rutilated quartz rare?
Is Rutilated Quartz Rare? Although the rutile patterning on each stone is unique, rutilated quartz is not at all rare. It is mined in all places – including Spain, Australia, Russia, India, Madagascar and Brazil – where crystal quartz is mined.
What is gold rutile made of?
titanium dioxide
Rutile is the most abundant naturally occurring form of titanium dioxide combined with varying amounts of iron oxide. This gives it its golden to coppery hue, while also acting as a coloring agent in certain copper alloys.