Rocksday

Tiger's Eye

Golden-brown quartz with a silky, shifting band of light (chatoyancy) caused by parallel fibers inside.

Tiger's Eye specimen
Photo: Marek Novotnak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify tiger's eye

  • Gold and brown stripes that shimmer and move as you tilt it.
  • Silky luster, especially when polished.
  • Hard — scratches glass.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Northern Cape, South Africa
  • Western Australia
  • Namibia

Uses

Beads, cabochons and tumbled stones.

Rock tumbling

Great for tumbling.

Did you know?

The shimmer comes from quartz that grew along crocidolite asbestos fibers.

Think you could spot it from a blurry close-up?

Play today's Rocksday