In this study, the natural vanadiferous and ferruginous rutile was modified by heat treatment with the temperatures ranging from 500~1 000 ℃ under the condition of argon atmosphere. XRD patterns of treated samples have revealed that there exist different levels of cell expansion with the increasing temperature, and a new phase, ilmenite, is formed above 900 ℃. The UV-vis diffuse reflection spectra show that the visible absorption is distinctly improved after argon heat treatment.