Rutile

specimen number:
8311462

location:
Graves Mountain, Lincoln Co., Georgia, USA

description:

Classic American specimen with sharp large bright crystals of rutile measuring to 2.8 cm in size embedded up on matrix. In excellent condition.

Graves Mountain, located in Lincoln County, Georgia, is a world-renowned mineral locality situated within the Piedmont geological province. Geologically, it consists of a monadnock of kyanite-quartzite that has undergone extensive hydrothermal alteration, resulting in a unique assemblage of phosphate and oxide minerals. The site is most famous for its exceptional rutile specimens, which occur as large, splendent, jet-black crystals with a metallic luster, often exhibiting magnificent elbow or cyclic twinning. Historically, mining and quarrying at Graves Mountain focused on the industrial extraction of kyanite for use in refractories and ceramics, with primary operations conducted by the Combustion Engineering Company from the 1920s until the mine closed in 1986. Since the cessation of industrial activity, the location has been preserved for mineral collectors and researchers. As of 2026, it remains a premier site for studying the metamorphism of high-aluminum rocks and is celebrated for producing some of the finest rutile crystals ever discovered in North America.

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