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Rutile:
Simple Oxides (Titanium dioxide; may contain substantial amounts of iron) TiO2 AKA: |
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System: Tetragonal; commonly long, striated prismatic crystals; knee-shaped and rosette twins; also acicular, compact, disseminated. Appearance: Red, reddish brown, black, yellow, gold, blue violet and green; adamantine, submetallic, streak white, gray, pale brown. Physical Properties: Hardness: (6.0 - 6.5); Specific gravity: (4.2 - 4.3). Cleavage: distinct, sometimes good, two directions, poor in a third; fracture, uneven; brittle; translucent to transparent in thin pieces. Similar species: Cassiterite is heavier, and lacks the striated, lustrous, prismatic crystals of rutile. Occurrence: Rutile forms in plutonic and metamorphic rocks. Splendid crystals of rutile have come from Georgia, Arkansas, and California. Prismatic crystals have been found in California. Miscellaneous: The name "rutile" is from the Latin rutilus, "reddish," in allusion to its color. Rutile is the principal ore of titanium and is also used as a gemstone and in ceramic glazes. Conventional Wisdom: Rutile is stone for stabilizing relationships, marriages, mental processes and emotional and physical imbalances. It allows for the realization that each person shares the powers of the universe, the passions of the planets and the understanding from the advanced worlds. The ethereal aspects of rutile, when found within another crystalline form (e.g. quartz, topaz, amethyst), bring strength with love, ease in transition, growth in all avenues of ones development, and calm, reason and order. Belongs to the Astrological Signs of Gemini and Taurus. |