Tiger’s eye

Tiger’s Eye is a type of metamorphic rock that when cut en cabochon shows its chatoyancy (an optical reflective effect looking like stripes that are reflecting under the stone’s surface).

They are usually reddish brown to golden coloured and have a silky luster and heat treatment can create red stones. The much more valuable ‘cat’s eye’ stones have been mimicked by honey coloured tiger’s eyes.

Sources of the stones include Australia, Brazil, Namibia, South Africa, Burma, India, United States, Canada and China.