mineral

Tiger’s-eye cabochon or polished fragment

Chatoyant quartz, chiefly quartz (SiO₂) with iron-oxide inclusions

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

Hardness 6.5–7 Mohs; golden-brown silky chatoyancy, vitreous to silky luster, microcrystalline quartz, and no obvious cleavage. The dark edge may be matrix or an iron-rich base.

Identified September 13, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Hardness 6.5–7 Mohs; golden-brown silky chatoyancy, vitreous to silky luster, microcrystalline quartz, and no obvious cleavage. The dark edge may be matrix or an iron-rich base.

Formation & geological history

Forms when crocidolite asbestos fibers are pseudomorphed by quartz and oxidized to golden limonite/goethite; most commercial material comes from South Africa and Western Australia. It formed during Precambrian hydrothermal and metamorphic alteration.

Uses & applications

Cut into cabochons, beads, carvings, and inexpensive jewelry; also popular as a lapidary and collector material.

Geological facts

Its moving cat’s-eye band results from aligned fibrous inclusions reflecting light. Blue-gray hawk’s-eye commonly represents an incompletely oxidized stage of the same process.

Field identification & locations

Identify it by the sharp, mobile silky band that follows the stone’s length, golden-brown color, and quartz-like hardness; glass imitations lack the natural fibrous structure and usually feel softer. Common localities include South Africa, Australia, India, Namibia, and Thailand.