$35.00
A 3.50-inch tiger eye point from South Africa featuring rich golden bands, shimmering chatoyance, and polished facets that highlight its natural layered structure.
In stock
This 3.50-inch tiger eye point is shaped from banded quartz containing fibrous layers of altered crocidolite that create the signature silky shimmer known as chatoyance. Lapidary artisans polish each facet to enhance the stone’s reflective sheen, allowing the golden bands to shift and ripple when viewed in changing light.
Its clean geometric form and well-defined termination offer a refined silhouette, emphasizing the contrast between deep brown layers and luminous gold streaks.
Tiger eye forms when blue crocidolite (a fibrous mineral in the riebeckite family) undergoes silicification, a process where quartz slowly replaces the original fibers. Trace amounts of iron oxidize during this transformation, producing the stone’s warm gold and brown coloration.
This pseudomorphic process creates the parallel fibrous structure that gives rise to tiger eye’s distinctive optical effect:
Chatoyance — a narrow, moving band of reflected light caused by aligned fibers.
South Africa is the world’s most significant source of high-quality tiger eye, producing material with strong fiber orientation and vibrant golden hues.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Mineral Class | Silicate – Quartz Pseudomorph |
| Chemical Formula | SiO₂ with iron oxide |
| Original Mineral | Crocidolite (replaced by quartz) |
| Crystal System | Trigonal (microcrystalline quartz) |
| Mohs Hardness | 6.5 – 7 |
| Locality | South Africa |
| Optical Feature | Chatoyance from aligned fibers |
Tiger eye has been used in jewelry, carvings, and protective amulets for centuries. Ancient cultures valued its shifting golden light, seeing it as a symbol of alertness, clarity, and watchfulness—qualities often associated with the keen vision of large cats.
In more recent carving traditions, tiger eye’s durability and dramatic optical behavior make it ideal for points, spheres, and intricate figurines.
Symbolically, tiger eye is associated with:
Focused confidence, inspired by its sharp, directional chatoyance
Steady determination, reflected in its dense, layered structure
Balanced perspective, tied to its interplay of warm and dark tones
Protective awareness, echoing the visual theme of a “watchful eye”
At 3.50 inches, this point is tall enough to showcase the full range of tiger eye’s golden movement. The polished facets catch shifting bands of light, making it an engaging display piece for shelves, desks, or intentional décor. Its warm palette pairs beautifully with browns, neutrals, and metallic accents.
Wipe with a soft cloth. Avoid harsh chemicals. Due to its fibrous structure, avoid dropping the piece or exposing it to extreme temperature changes.
| Weight | 4 oz |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 1 × 1 × 3.5 in |
