Natural Tiger's Eye
Tiger's eye is a chatoyant variety of quartz (SiO2) that grew together with fine fibers of crocidolite, a blue fibrous mineral of the amphibole group. As the fibers weathered, iron oxides stained them golden yellow to reddish brown, and the parallel structure that remains gathers light into a bright, silky band that glides across the stone as it moves. With a Mohs hardness of about 7, it is durable enough for rings, pendants and everyday wear.
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3 Pieces Natural Tiger's Eye 34.9ct Round Cabochons
€5.40 EURRegular price€6.10 EUR
Gemstone guide
Natural Tiger's Eye
About tiger's eye
Tiger's eye has been carved and polished for centuries and is one of the best-known ornamental stones. Most of the world's supply comes from the Northern Cape of South Africa, with other deposits in Western Australia, India and Namibia. Where the original blue color of the fibers survives, the stone is called hawk's eye, and red tiger's eye is usually made by heating the golden material. Studies in the early 2000s showed that the quartz and the fibers grew side by side as cracks opened and sealed again and again, rather than the quartz simply replacing the fibers, as was long believed. In zodiac lists tiger's eye is linked with Gemini.
What you'll find in this collection
This collection holds tiger's eye in warm golden brown with flowing silky bands: matched sets of three polished heart pendants about 20 mm across, around 48 to 51 carats per set, and sets of three round cabochons of about 35 to 40 carats, each with a broad band of shimmer.
How to recognise tiger's eye
The surest sign is the moving band of light: tilt the stone and the shimmer rolls across it, and the bands swap from light to dark as you turn it, because each bundle of fibers reflects light in only one direction. On the side or back of a stone you can often see the straight or wavy fibers. Tiger's eye is opaque with a silky luster and feels cool and solid in the hand. Fiber-optic glass imitations show a sharper, more uniform eye and a honeycomb pattern on the side, and in dyed stones the color may gather in cracks.
Caring for tiger's eye
Tiger's eye is hard and tough enough for daily wear. Clean it with warm soapy water and a soft brush, and avoid strong acids and household chemicals, which can dull the polish. Keep it away from high heat, since heating turns the golden color red.
Every tiger's eye is natural, and each listing gives its weight, size, origin and treatment, with photos of the actual stone.