Guide
Rutile specimens for sale
116 for sale · $35–$30,000 USD
586 in the gallery
Rutile is a titanium oxide mineral that typically forms as prismatic, needle-like crystals or radiant aggregates with a vitreous to adamantine luster. Its color ranges from golden to reddish-brown, and it often occurs in intrusive rocks, pegmatites, and metamorphic environments, sometimes decorating quartz veins or appearing as inclusions within other minerals. Notable specimens have come from classic locales in Brazil, the United States, Switzerland, Pakistan, and Austria, where it can form striking publicized crystals or well-formed crystals in matrix, sometimes showing rich color zoning or twinning.
- Formula
- TiO2
- Rarity
- Common
- Stability
- Stable
- Collector interest
- Moderate Interest
- Classification notes
- Oxide minerals; Titanium oxides; Rutile group
Key characteristics
- Crystal system
- tetragonal
- Mohs hardness
- 6–6.5
- Specific gravity
- 4.2–4.3
- Luster
- adamantine, submetallic, metallic
- Transparency
- transparent, translucent, opaque
- Color
- red, brown, black, yellow, gray
- Streak
- brown, yellow
- Cleavage
- good
- Fracture
- subconchoidal, uneven
- Crystal habit
- prismatic, acicular, fibrous, radiating, granular, massive
- Gem mineral
- Classic / historic
Buy Rutile specimens
View all 116Where Rutile is found
Top localities
- Novo Horizonte158 specimens
- Graves Mountain38 specimens
- Champion Mine24 specimens
- Zagi Mountain24 specimens
- Cavradi gorge19 specimens
- Diamantina19 specimens
- Minas Gerais19 specimens
- Ibitiara19 specimens
- Magnet Cove18 specimens
- Mono County14 specimens
Guides
All guides
Guide
Rutile from Graves Mountain, Georgia, USA
Graves Mountain rutile — Georgia’s renowned locality for large dark red-brown to black twin prisms with mirror luster, prized by collectors for size and form.Read guide
Guide
Rutile from Cavradi Gorge, Tujetsch, Switzerland
Cavradi Gorge, Switzerland — Rutile on hematite with red glassy needles in Alpine fissures; celebrated for crystallographic order and Swiss collecting heritage.Read guideAbout Rutile
Collectors prize Rutile for its strong crystal forms, lustrous surfaces, and the variety of growth habits it can display, from slender acicular crystals to well-formed, sturdy prisms. Fine examples are often coveted for their aesthetic appeal and for their association with other minerals such as quartz, apatite, or tourmaline, which can enhance display value. While routines vary by locality, Rutile in top-quality specimens offers a reliable highlight in mineral cabinets, appreciated for its enduring brightness and classic mineralogical importance.
