Tiger's Eye Gemstone

Tigers' Eye is a Quartz that's formed from Hawk's Eye, where the iron from the decomposed crocidolite has oxidized to a brown color, keeping the fibrous structure. The luster is silky on fractures. Typically displays chatoyant stripes, because structural silky fibers are crooked or bend. It is sensitive to some acids. Found together with Hawk's Eye in slabs of a few inches' thickness. It has a gold-yellow, gold-brown color, and hardness 6 1/2 - 7 in the Moh's scale. Most important deposits are found in south Africa (where the export of raw material is forbidden), also in Australia, Burma (Myanmar), India, Namibia, and the United States (California). Used for necklaces, custom Jewelry, and objects d' art. When cut en cabochon, the surface shows chatoyancy reminiscent of the eyes of a cat. Reddish Tiger's Eye (a.k.a. Ox's eye) is artificially dyed.