mineral

Tumbled tiger’s eye

Tiger’s eye (chatoyant quartz), SiO₂ with fibrous crocidolite pseudomorphs

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

Hardness 6.5–7 Mohs; golden-brown to reddish-brown silky chatoyancy, vitreous-to-silky luster, opaque, and no obvious cleavage. The parallel bands reflect light as a moving cat’s-eye stripe; this specimen is polished and rounded.

Identified August 25, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Forms when quartz replaces fibrous riebeckite/crocidolite during hydrothermal alteration, preserving the fibers as chatoyant bands. Major deposits occur in Precambrian rocks of South Africa, Western Australia, India, and Namibia.

Uses & applications

Used for cabochons, beads, carvings, tumbled stones, and ornamental objects; valued more for appearance than industrial use.

Geological facts

Tiger’s eye is a pseudomorph: quartz occupies the former structure of blue asbestos-like crocidolite fibers. Golden tiger’s eye is the common variety; blue hawk’s-eye represents an earlier oxidation stage.

Field identification & locations

Identify it by its golden parallel bands and bright moving cat’s-eye effect when rotated under a single light; it is denser and harder than glass and lacks the glitter of mica. This is likely a common commercial tumble.