Rutile

Rutiles  can  often  be  found  trapped  inside  gemstones,  where  they  appear  as  microscopic  inclusions. Rutile is primarily made of titanium  dioxide  and  can  be  responsible  for  causing  amazing  optical  effects  such  as  cat’s  eye  or  asterisms.

Gems such as Tourmaline, Ruby and Sapphire  often have rutile inclusions and Rutile Quartz is  famed for its beautiful needle-like inclusions.

As it can sometimes be seen as a red inclusion  within  certain  gemstones,  its  name  is  derived  from the Latin word for  red,  “rutilus”, which  is  also  responsible  for  the  name  given  to  red Corundum (Ruby).