Glossary
- a
- b
- c
- d
- e
- f
- g
- h
- i
- j
- k
- l
- m
- n
- o
- p
- q
- r
- s
- t
  - Tadelakt
  - Taenia
  - Tapestry
  - Temple
  - Terra cotta
  - Tesserae
  - Tiger iron
  - Tiger's eye
  - Tourmaline
  - Tracery
  - Triglyph
  - Triumphal arch
  - Trompe-l'œil
  - Turkistan (Timurid) architecture
  - Turquoise
  - Tympanum
- u
- v
- w
- x
- y
- z
- ALL
Faq
Articles
Exhibitions
Career Opportunities
Friends

Tiger's eye

a/b/c/d/e/f/g/h/i/j/k/l/m/n/o/p/q/r/s/t/u/v/w/x/y/z/ALL

Tiger's eye (also Tigers eye, Tiger eye) is a chatoyant gemstone that is usually yellow- to red-brown, with a silky luster.

It is a fibrous silicified crocidolite (blue asbestos), a classic example of pseudomorphous replacement. An incompletely silicified blue variant is called Hawk's eye. A member of the quartz group, its physical and optical properties are identical or very near to those of single-crystal quartz.

The gems are usually cut en cabochon in order to best display their chatoyancy. Red stones are brought about through gentle heat treatment. Honey-coloured stones have been used to imitate the much higher valued cat's eye chrysoberyl (cymophane), but the overall effect is unconvincing. Artificial fibreoptic glass is a common imitation of tiger's eye, and is produced in a wide range of colours.