The Rutile Gemology & Metaphysical Blog

Iolite

Iolite is the name used to refer to the transparent to translucent gem variety of the magnesium aluminum silicate mineral, cordierite. It derives its name from the Greek word for “violet”, alluding...

Jadeite

Jade is a gemstone that can be broken down into both the minerals jadeite and nephrite. In 1863, Alexis Damour made the distinction that Jade can come in two different forms. Jadeite is an aluminum...

Kyanite

Found mainly in metamorphic settings such as schists and gneisses, Kyanite forms from the high-pressure alteration of clay minerals. Kyanite is unique in that it holds its strength at high temperat...

Larimar

Larimar is the rare blue gemstone variety of the sodium-calcium silicate mineral pectolite. Although pectolite is not a rare mineral, the stunning sea-blue larimar is unique because it is found onl...

Moonstone

Moonstone is the name used for Feldspar minerals of gem quality that exhibit a specific phenomenon called adularescence. Adularescence is the bright sheen of floating light that appears to move thr...

Morganite

First discovered in Madagascar in 1910 by Tiffany and Company’s chief gemologist, George Kunz, and named in honor of financier and avid gem collector JP Morgan, Morganite is fairly new on the scene...

Opal

Opal is the non-crystalline form of the mineral Silica formed from a solution of Silicon Dioxide and Water. It is amorphous, void of a crystalline structure, and not a true mineral due to its lack ...

Peridot

Peridot is a magnesium iron silicate gem variety of the mineral Olivine. Olivine is a group of rock-forming minerals found in mafic/ultramafic rocks (iron-rich). Olivine crystals with vivid color a...

Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz is the commonly occurring pink variety of the mineral Quartz. Rose Quartz is abundant throughout the world often found in massive form lacking crystal faces or in clusters of small pris...

Ruby

Long honored for its innate beauty and powerful energizing vibrations, Rubies have excited humans for decades. Once held with more reverence than a Diamond, Ruby was said to have been traded by the...

Sapphire

Sapphire is the term used to describe all varieties of the mineral Corundum excluding the red variety denoted Ruby since antiquity. Sapphire is an aluminum oxide with a hardness of 9. The only othe...

Sphene

Sphene is the gemstone name of the mineral titanite, which is a rare calcium titanium silicate mineral and a minor ore of titanium. Sphene is pleochroic with a dispersion rate higher than that of d...

Spinel

Spinel is a magnesium aluminum oxide mineral that with the inclusion of other elements, produces color variations that span the spectrum and can produce a variety of beautiful, sought-after stones....

Tanzanite

Tanzanite is the rare blue variety of the mineral Zoisite found only in Tanzania, East Africa. First introduced by Tiffany and Co. Jewelers in 1967, this popular gem is one of the most sought-after...

Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a group of complex borosilicate minerals that crystallize in the hexagonal crystal system. Tourmaline is found in a wide variety of colors, including pink, red, green, blue, black, an...

Turquoise

Turquoise is a semi-precious stone that is prized for its unique blue-green color. It is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminum, and is found in a few locations around the world, including the ...

Zircon

Zircon is not Cubic Zirconia! Zircon is a zirconium silicate mineral abundant in the Earth’s crust that can be found in a variety of colors that has been mined for over 2000 years.