Platinum Rutilated Quartz

"Platinum quartz" is a trade name for natural quartz from Currelo, Minas Gerais, Brazil, whose silvery grey rutile fibres grew on blades of brookite, another form of titanium dioxide. The platinum-like colour comes from these titanium minerals, not from platinum metal. Beads sold elsewhere as platinum rutilated quartz are not documented to share this origin.

Products made with this material

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Rutilated Quartz (platinum)
Rutilated Quartz (platinum)

10mm / 12mm

$9.99 Available

Full material guide
Material facts

What the material is, where it comes from or how it is made, identification and care, from the cited sources.

Properties

Material type Natural mineral: quartz with mineral inclusions (not a separate species)
Inclusions Grey rutile (TiO₂) overgrown on brookite (TiO₂), in the Currelo material
Host mineral Quartz, SiO₂ (usually colourless rock crystal)
Mohs hardness (quartz host) 7
Specific gravity (quartz host) 2.65
Refractive index (quartz host) 1.544 to 1.553

Origins & sources

GIA places the material sold as "platinum quartz" at Currelo in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Similar silvery grey rutile tufts have been found in quartz from El Dorado County, California.

Identification

In the Currelo material the grey rutile is overgrown on brookite, a polymorph of rutile; this is what gives the silvery needles. In similar silvery tufts from California, GIA identified the rutile by Raman spectroscopy. Silvery needles look much like those sold as silver rutilated quartz, so the trade name alone does not show which minerals a piece contains.

Care

The host is quartz, with a Mohs hardness of 7. JCK advises washing off dust before wiping the stone with a cloth, because dust of similar hardness can leave fine scratches that gradually dull the polish. The International Gem Society lists no special care instructions and no heat sensitivity for quartz.

History & culture

History

Not collected yet

Cultural meanings

Not collected yet

Traditional beliefs

Not collected yet

Sources

Collected Oct 23, 2026