Rutile - Brazil

Rutile is a titanium oxide (Ti02) mineral and is a 6-6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It is used for production of titanium metal and used in paints, plastics, and paper. It can range in color from a metallic color to a dark reddish and more commonly appears as golden needle like crystals. Rutile can also occur as needle-shaped crystals in other minerals such as quartz.