Rutile

specimen number:
1605122

location:
Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil

description:
Brilliant lustrous grouping of terminated prismatic rutile crystals.

Diamantina, located in the central region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, has a rich history dating back to the early 18th century when diamond discoveries sparked a major colonial rush and established the town as a legendary gem-mining center. Geologically, the area is situated within the Espinhaco Range, characterized by Precambrian quartzites, phyllites, and conglomerates that were subjected to intense folding, faulting, and hydrothermal activity. Mineralogically, the region is world-famous for its exceptional quartz crystals, but it is also highly celebrated for producing striking specimens of rutile, often occurring as brilliant, metallic dark red to black prismatic crystals, geniculate twins, or embedded needles that grew within the quartz veins and surrounding metamorphic host rocks.

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