Rutilated quartz is quartz stone w/rutile enclosures. Rutile is a mineral that is made up mostly of titanium dioxide. As a mineral, rutile is very high on the refractive index and disperses more than almost any other mineral. This means that when rutile appears in other minerals, it almost always appears in long, thin shots of color. When rutile appears within quartz, it often appears as needles of included color. In some gorgeous examples, rutilated quartz looks as if it is filled w/gold fibers. In many pieces of rutilated quartz, each individual rutile strand is visible. The effect is uniquely beautiful. Rutilated quartz can be difficult to properly smooth for use in jewelry. For this reason, some specimens of rutilated quartz are pitted on the surface. Prized examples of this stone often include complete rutiles that are entirely encased in quartz. In these stones, the rutile does not extend past the barrier of the quartz edge, and can therefore be properly polished. We are offering a 2.5x5x2" thick polished example w/few surface pits. The dark smoky color of the quartz is nicely offset by the lt. gold color of the rutile and makes for an Exc. display. The underside is rough.