gemstone

Red Tiger's Eye

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) with iron oxide inclusions

Hardness: 7 on the Mohs scale. Color: Deep reddish-brown with silky dark red and brownish chatoyant bands. Luster: Vitreous to silky. Crystal structure: Trigonal (microcrystalline quartz). Cleavage: None.

Hardness: 7 on the Mohs scale
Luster: Vitreous to silky

Identified July 22, 2026More gemstone →

Explore Red Tiger's Eye in the encyclopedia →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Forms when yellow tiger's eye undergoes natural geological heating or heat treatment, transforming the limonite/goethite inclusions into hematite, creating a rich red coloration.

Uses & applications

Widely used in lapidary art, jewelry (beads, cabochons, pendants), ornamental carvings, and gemstone collections.

Geological facts

Also known as Bull's Eye or Ox Eye. The silky chatoyancy is caused by the fibrous pseudomorph structure of fibrous crocidolite replaced by quartz.

Field identification & locations

Identified by its characteristic silky, light-reflecting chatoyant bands and dark reddish-brown hue. Major sources include South Africa, Australia, Brazil, and India.

Other gemstone specimens

See all

Diamond and Gold Jewelry

Carbon (Diamond) / Au (Gold)

gemstone

Ammolite

Ammolite (Biogenic Aragonite with trace elements; fossils of Placenticeras meeki and Placenticeras intercalare)

mineral

Cubic Zirconia (simulant) or Diamond

ZrO2 (Cubic Zirconia) or C (Diamond)

gemstone

Red Jasper

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) with Hematite inclusions

sedimentary

Cubic Zirconia (or possibly Diamond)

Zirconium dioxide (or Carbon)

gemstone

Faceted Gemstone

Unknown transparent mineral, possibly Diamond (C), Cubic Zirconia (ZrO2), Quartz (SiO2), or Glass

gemstone