Tigers Eye from South Africa
Finely polished tigers eye sphere with exceptional colour and markings. Chatoyant and incredibly tactile, this piece was cut from stone mined in Griqualand West in the Northern Cape.
The optical phenomenon known as chatoyance can be seen in several minerals. It's best known for being present in chrysoberyl and tigers eye.
Chatoyance is caused as light reflects off microscopic fibres or needle-like inclusions within the stone. The result is a silky sheen which can give the impression colour and patterns are moving.
One question we hear often in regards to this variety of quartz is does it contain asbestos?
The mineral crocidolite which is a variety of asbestos is present in tigers eye. This often causes panic but there is no risk to health at all because it's encapsulated deep within the quartz.
The danger from asbestos comes from inhaling its dust and microscopic fibres. With the crocidolite being fossilised within the quartz it's not possible for any loose fibres to break away.
If you still have concerns regarding the presence of asbestos in tigers eye, here's what the experts say. Mindat is the largest mineralogical database online. It's used by mineralogists and geologists around the world.
This beautiful tigers eye sphere is standing on a polished hematite ring. These are available to buy separately.
