What is Tiger Eye?
Tiger’s eye is a yellow to reddish brown gemstone composed primarily of silica, therefore, it is in the quartz family of minerals. Amethyst and citrine are two other gemstones in the quartz family. In the case of tiger eye, silica has replaced the original fibrous mineral in the gemstone. Due to the fibrous nature of the original mineral, it displays a chatoyant effect. Chatoyance refers to the quality in which light seems to ‘run across’ the surface of a gem stone. In the specimens on the left, the face of the rock has been cut and polished revealing the ‘chatoyant’, or ‘dancing light’ effect. The natural color of the stone is usually yellow to brown, heating and other permanent treatments are used to acheive the more red and blue colors. Tigereye is mined primarily in South Africa and Western Australia.
