4" Rutilated Smoky Quartz Crystal - Brazil

Rutilated quartz is a form of quartz characterized by needle-like inclusions of rutile within the quartz crystal. These inclusions mostly look golden, but they also can look silver, copper red, or deep black.

Rutile is a titanium dioxide mineral, and sometimes contains large quantities of iron oxide.

Smoky quartz is a grey-brown to black variety of quartz. This common name is derived from the appearance of smoke within the quartz crystal. Depending on the location and the chemicals present during formation, smoky quartz can appear opaque black, but it is typically translucent to some extent. It is believed that the quartz gains this color from a combination of natural irradiation and aluminum impurities.