Tiger's eye
Tiger's eye (also
Tigers Eye,
Tiger Eye) is a
chatoyant gemstone that is usually yellow- to red-brown, with a silky
lustre. It is a fibrous
silicified crocidolite (in the
quartz family). The gems are usually cut
en cabochon in order to best display their chatoyancy. Red stones are brought about through heat treatment. Honey-coloured stones have been used to imitate the much higher valued cat's eye
chrysoberyl (cymophane), but the overall effect is unconvincing. An incompletely silicified blue variant is called Hawk's eye.
Mohs Hardness: 7
Sources