Rutilated Topaz Information

Natural Rutile Topaz

Rutile (or rutilated) quartz is clear or smoky quartz with inclusions of rutile. The rutile needles form lovely patterns like miniature sculptures. Every stone is quite unique and it has become very popular for jewelry over the last few years.

Recently we had an opportunity to buy some rutile topaz, a similar looking gem with the added attraction of topaz's additional hardness and better brilliance. However, as we investigated this gem we discovered that the ribbon-like inclusions in rutile topaz are actually quite different from those in rutile quartz.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) published an article in their journal some years ago (Gems & Gemology, Summer 1987) that explored this difference. According to this article, the needle-like inclusions in so-called rutile topaz actually consist of limonite staining that fills hollow tubes in the topaz. In fact rutile is not known to crystallize in a ribbon-like form in topaz.

Natural Rutile Quartz

Limonite is quite a different mineral from rutile. Rutile is titanium dioxide and has an exceptionally high refractive index; much higher than that of diamond. Limonite is not a true mineral, but is composed of a varying mixture of hydrated iron oxide minerals such as goethite and lepidocrocite. Limonite is typically yellow-brown in color, and is used as the basis for the natural earth pigment ochre.

Therefore, the term "rutile topaz" is a misnomer. It likely originated from its resemblance to the more popular rutile quartz, but has continued to be used despite more precise information becoming available. One contributing factor is the lack of a proposed alternative name that would be embraced by the market - it seems that "limonite-stained topaz" did not gain traction.

If you compare a number of different samples of rutile quartz and rutile topaz, you will see many differences. The range of patterns in rutile quartz tends to be much greater, and dense clusters of needles are more common in quartz. The rutile topaz tends to have greater areas of transparency with sparser and more delicate inclusions. Both are equally attractive in their own way.