Golden Rutilated Quartz is a silicon dioxide mineral with unique needle-like inclusions of Rutile. These “needles” usually appear golden, but can also appear silver, red, copper, or black and can be distributed randomly or in bundles or star-like formations. Rutile is the mineral name for natural crystals of titanium dioxide, which may contain iron oxide. When the level of iron oxide is high, the inclusions appear more golden or copper, when it is low, they appear dark or black. The inclusions can be so dense as to make the clear Quartz nearly opaque.