gemstone

Tiger's Eye

Silicon Dioxide (Quartz pseudomorph after crocidolite)

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Golden-brown, yellow-brown, with bands of dark brown or black; Luster: Silky to vitreous; Crystal Structure: Trigonal (microcrystalline quartz); Cleavage: None; Specific Gravity: 2.64-2.71

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale
Luster: Silky to vitreous

Identified August 1, 2026More gemstone →

Explore 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

Formed when quartz perpetually replaces the original mineral crocidolite (blue asbestos) while retaining its fibrous structure, typically occurring in metamorphic environments.

Uses & applications

Widely used in jewelry, ornamental carvings, beads, and as a popular collector's specimen.

Geological facts

Tiger's eye exhibits chatoyancy, an optical reflectance effect resembling the slit eye of a tiger, caused by the parallel arrangement of quartz fibers.

Field identification & locations

Easily identifiable by its distinctive golden-brown stripes and silky chatoyant sheen. Commonly mined in South Africa, Western Australia, and the USA.

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

Black Opal Ring (Carved Opal)

Hydrated Silicon Dioxide (SiO2·nH2O)

gemstone

Cubic Zirconia (or possibly Diamond)

Zirconium dioxide (or Carbon)

gemstone