Stonewise: Rutilated Quartz

I know I'm a day late, but I figured I'd post late rather than not at all. So here's this week's Stonewise...Rutilated Quartz!

As you all probably know by now, I start with some information from writer and witch, Ardriana Cahill, and this is what she says:

Rutile occurs as shiny, elongated, needlelike or hair-like silver crystals of titanium dioxide or gold crystals of titanium oxide in other minerals such as quartz. A beautiful stone produced by large inclusions of golden Rutile needles in clear quartz is called Rutilated Quartz. This stone is produced because at high temperatures and pressure, the compounds that make up quartz and rutile are in a stable state. But as temperatures cool and pressure eases, the two separate with Rutile crystals trapped inside the Quartz.

Etymology: The name quartz comes from the Saxon word querklufterz which meant cross vein ore. The name rutile comes from the Latin word rutilus meaning red. Rutilated Quartz as been refered to as Venus Hair Stone, Cupid's Darts and Fleches D'amour.

Magick: The Golden-hair Rutile takes on both lunar and solar properties and the qualities attributed to stones under their influence. Copper-hair Rutile, also named Venus Hair Rutile is an excellent gem for meditation on any feminine themes or Venus themes of the power of love and the depth of beauty. Use to remove obstacles and get insight to one's problems. Carry as a natural symbol of the Goddess to remind us of the welfare of and obligation to our common Mother, the Earth.

How do I use it in my jewelry...the first place I found was in my Air bracelet, which was a challenge in and of itself. Do you know how many stones are attributed to the element of Air? The direct opposite of Earth...yeah, not so many...

The Rutilated Quartz are the small rounds between the Citrines.

In any case, I liked that they were sometimes called the "Scrying Stone", which worked, because part of Air's influence is mental acuity. By being able to scry out your problems, one could find wisdom or understanding and find a good resolution. See? I thought I made it work...hehe...

Back when I first started collecting stones, I was all about perfection. The clearer the stone, the more beautiful it was to me. So Rutiliated Quartz was right out. There was nothing but stuff inside! Where was my pristine clarity? Thankfully I grew out of that phase and have collected a number of interesting Rutile pieces.

My two favorites are a tie between a river polished nugget (that's right, no help from man) and a piece of Smokey Quartz where the Rutile is so thin and curly that it reminds me of the images of an atom smash (which strangely enough I cannot find pics of...). It reminds me that everything is connected and that the world is bigger (and smaller) than we even conceive of.

I have not designed any pure worship jewelry yet, but when I do, I will most certainly include Rutilated Quartz.

And now I know a little more of why I do what I do.

Till next time, be well,

Red