Tigers Eye Crystals - Beautifully Polished
Finest-grade tigers eye crystals from South Africa. Some of the world's finest tigers eye comes from Griqualand West in the Northern Cape.
Tigers eye is well known for being chatoyant. The word, which comes from French for 'cat's eye', is a description of the way light interacts with fibres within the stone. This optical phenomenon can be seen in other rocks and minerals, but is best known in tigers eye.
Tigers eye contains quartz and crocidolite, a type of asbestos. When people learn tigers eye contains asbestos, it often puts them off buying it, but the crocidolite is fossilised deep within the quartz, so poses no risk.
The danger from asbestos comes from its microscopic fibres, which, if inhaled, become trapped in the lungs. For this to happen, they must first break away and become airborne.
This article in our blog clearly explains the structure of tigers eye and talks in detail about the presence of asbestos:
Asbestos in Tigers Eye
Chatoyance in tigers eye is dependent on the orientation of the crocidolite fibres. With the reflection of light, the stone's colours and markings can appear to move.
These beautifully polished tigers eye crystals are medium-sized tumbled stones, but size can vary from piece to piece. This is common for stones produced in a rock tumbler.
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