This weekend, I was in a local jewelry store when I saw the oddest, coolest ring that I’ve seen in some time. The stone was clear crystal filled with gold and silver colored strands of metal. Since I had never seen anything like it, I asked the store clerk how she made the stone.
(I assumed it was a lab creation. This was a rookie move.)
Once she had stopped laughing, the clerk explained that the stone was “rutilated crystal,” and that she had been using the gem for years. Unsure whether the stone was as rare and precious as she claimed, I decided to go home and search the internet for comparables. And boy, am I glad that I did.
It turns out that the “extremely rare and hard to find” stone that the woman was selling for over $300 is actually quite common. And luckily for this fashionista, rutilated quartz pieces can be found on Etsy for much much less than the clerk led me to believe.
Here are some of my favorites:
Honey Bee Necklace (ShopSomethingBlue, $44)
Red Rutilated Quartz Ring (BetseyBensen, $195)
Collision Pink Quartz Bracelet (AstridLily, $39)
Rutilated Quartz and CZ Citrine Earrings (BlueTulipDesigns, $39)
Green Quartz Cabochon Ring (AnaKim, $94)
Golden Flower Post Earrings (ShoogiSpark, $42)
7 comments
Stephanie says:
Search the “intern,” huh?
Typos aside (well, for the sake of the interns, I sure hope that was a typo!), thanks for posting these! I’d never seen this type of quarts, either, and I just love the flower and quartz earrings from ShoogiSpark. Off to Etsy!
Stephanie says:
Ah, karma! I meant “quartz,” not “quarts,” obviously. Okay: first some coffee, THEN Etsy.
Belle says:
Ah, fun with typos. Clearly, seeing the Intern in her leopard pumps, micro-mini skirt and sheer leopard tank top today, scarred me for life. Now I have Interns on the brain.
Stephanie says:
Are you sure it wasn’t just a hooker who got lost?
Belle says:
No, red badge.
Megan says:
I understand if you’d prefer not to give it, but I’d love to know the name of the store so that who might try to take me for a ride.
Amanda says:
Wow thank you for posting my Tourmalated Quartz necklace! Rutilated Quartz isnt as common as regular quartz, but its not as rare as the store clerk led you to believe (or that SHE possibly believes herself). There are different types of this stone: Rutilated, which is typically gold spindles through the stone, Moss Rutilated (which I’m not sure since I havent worked with it but I believe the green spindles are another type of quartz as opposed to moss the plant..could be wrong), and Tourmalated which is spindles of Black Tourmaline (what I prefer since its such a contrast to the clear quartz). LOVE LOVE LOVE the pink bracelet!!