Following up on this report, the Caltech team studied samples from deposits around the world, isolating the same mineral in each and quantifying its unique nature with its role in producing both the rose coloration and the asterism. The star effect (asterism) itself has been attributed to the rutile needles as well.ġn 1987, the dumortierite-like fibers were reported by Applin and Hicks in rose quartz from the Ruby Range in Montana. The cause of color in rose quartz has been debated over the years attributing it even in current texts variously to manganese, titanium, intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) between iron and titanium and to Tyndall scattering by rutile inclusions. George Rossman and his graduate students, Chi Ma and Julia S. Features this small can only be imaged using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and it was only relatively recently that their true significance became known, notably through the research of Dr.
Previously unknown, the fibers are related to dumortierite and at 100-500 nm in diameter they are so small that it would take hundreds of them together to approach the thickness of a human hair. The cause of this phenomenon is the presence of impossibly small rose colored fibers which also give the quartz its subtle coloration. Its star is exceptionally sharp and the innerscape is flawless with nary a needle visible even under high power magnification. There is an almost ethereal quality to the rose quartz cabochon pictured at the left.
Star Rose Quartz Cabochon 795 cts, Madagascar