Tumbled tiger’s-eye

Mohs hardness 6.5–7; golden-brown chatoyant bands, vitreous to silky luster, translucent edges, and no obvious cleavage. Its polished surface produces a moving cat’s-eye sheen when rotated in light.

Forms when blue asbestos-like crocidolite fibers are replaced by quartz during low-grade metamorphism, commonly in Precambrian rocks; major deposits occur in South Africa, Western Australia, India, and Namibia.

Used for cabochons, beads, carvings, decorative objects, and inexpensive tumbled stones; it is generally valued as an ornamental gemstone rather than for industrial use.

The chatoyancy results from aligned fibrous inclusions reflecting light. Golden tiger’s-eye commonly develops through alteration of blue hawk’s-eye material, with iron oxides producing the yellow-brown color.

Identify it by its parallel silky bands and strong sliding cat’s-eye effect, distinguishing it from ordinary quartz or jasper. The image shows a polished/tumbled piece, likely tiger’s-eye, though exact identification would benefit from examining the chatoyancy under a direct light.