Tiger's Eye

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Golden to reddish-brown and silky in appearance, tiger's eye is a chatoyant quartz whose parallel bands of light shimmer across the surface as the stone moves. The effect arises from the pseudomorphous replacement of crocidolite asbestos fibers by quartz, a process that preserves the original fibrous structure. The Northern Cape Province of South Africa is the leading source, producing large quantities of golden and red-brown material used in cabochons, beads, and decorative objects worldwide. Ancient Egyptians and Romans believed the stone conferred courage, clarity, and protection. With a Mohs hardness of 6.5 to 7, tiger's eye is durable and is almost always cut en cabochon to reveal its moving light.

Physical & Optical Properties

Category Semi-Precious Gems

Mohs Hardness 6.5 – 7.0

Specific Gravity 2.58 – 2.64

Refractive Index 1.534 – 1.54

Crystal System Trigonal

Luster Vitreous

Cleavage None

Fracture Conchoidal

Color various

Pleochroism Absent

Mohs Hardness

Mohs hardness of Tiger's Eye shown against the ten reference minerals, from talc (1) to diamond (10).

Mohs	Reference mineral	Tiger's Eye
1	Talc
2	Gypsum
3	Calcite
4	Fluorite
5	Apatite
6	Orthoclase
7	Quartz	●
8	Topaz
9	Corundum
10	Diamond

Crystal System

Value & Market

Price Tier Moderate ($50-500/ct)

Where to Buy Tiger's Eye

Blue Nile Fine jewelry retailer

James Allen Gemstone jewelry

Brilliant Earth Ethically sourced gems

Amazon Wide selection

Links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Cultural Significance

Birthstone Month 11 (alternative)

Treatments

May be bleached to lighten the color and dyed to any color. Also heat-treated to produce the dark red "Bull's eye" - Blue Chart Gem Identification, Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, 2010, p 7 6.5 to 7Walter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references 2.58 to 2.64Walter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references NoneArthur Thomas, Gemstones (2009) ConchoidalMichael O?Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) 1.534 to 1.540Walter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references Uniaxial/+Ulrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) NoneWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) AbsentWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) NoneWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) ChatoyantHerve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) Gold-yellow, gold-brownWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references OpaqueWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references VitreousGemdat.org, Management Team (2012) NoneWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) TrigonalGemdat.org, Management Team (2012) Fibrous aggregateWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) Tiger's Eye information at mindat.org