The Beauty and Spiritual Powers of Tiger Eye

Tiger eye is a popular gemstone that is typically found in warm tones of brown and gold. It has the appearance of a feline eye; hence the name. While the physical beauty of the stone is one reason for its popularity, many also claim that tiger has several beneficial metaphysical and physical properties. It is believed that this gemstone brings together the energies of the sun and earth. It is also associated with the earth, and is sometimes used as a grounding stone and helps a person focus during meditation. It is also believed to improve one’s psychic ability and spirituality.

Astrologers suggest that this gemstone be worn by those with Capricorn Rising, or the Sun, Venus. Since ancient time, it was believed to enhance success and improves one’s luck. It is recommended for grounding, practicality and optimism. Many believe that tiger eye is a balancer and makes one aware of our own needs as well as the needs of those around us. This stone protects one's aura from anger & negativity. Travelers use it as a protective charm during their travels. The stone is said to calm one’s thoughts and emotions, and helps clear the mind. In some cultures, tiger’s eye is used to keep oneself safe from black magic, because it is believed to ward off evil spirits, evil doing, negative influences, and bad travel vibes. Some use this stone to help heal throat disorders, relieve asthma, disorders of the reproductive system, and illnesses of the eye.

Tiger eye is one of the many forms of quartz used in fashion jewelry as precious and semi-precious gemstones. The quartz crystals in tiger eye are extremely small and therefore cannot be seen as individual crystals even under moderate magnification. As such, tiger eye is said to be a microcrystalline from of quartz. This is in contrast with other gemstones such as amethysts which are known for large crystal sizes. Tiger eye has a specific gravity that usually varies in a relatively narrow range of 2.5 to 2.7, and is typically about 2.67. It is a fairly hard gemstone and is assigned a hardness number of 7 on the Mohs harness scale. In tiger eye, some of the silica is replaced by crocilodite fibers, which have a preferred vertical orientation.

These fibers consist of iron oxide in a hydrous form. The result of this unique combination of minerals is that the stone exhibits a property called chatoyancy. Tiger eye is usually found in South Africa, Australia, Burma, and Brazil. Manmade tiger eye is also available in the market today. Artificial tiger eye is created using fiber optic glass. The quality of manmade specimens is getting better, but current quality still does not compare with natural ones. An intense heat treatment is sometime applied to natural tiger specimens to change their color to hues of red.

The stone is found in beautiful and warm shades of brown and gold. These colors combined with the chatoyancy exhibited by the stone have made it very popular with fashion jewelry designers and jewelry fans everywhere. This is a relatively inexpensive stone and therefore is better suited for fashion rather than fine jewelry. It is commonly used as focal beads in a sterling pendant, necklace, ring, and earrings.

Tiger eye in fashion jewelry is usually used in the form of cabochons. This type of cut is the best way to bring out the warm beauty of this stone. Contemporary designs combine tiger eye with other gems including pearls. When used in combination with pearls, it is important that the stone not overwhelm the warmth of the pearls. Therefore, tiger eye is usually limited to the pendant, or a set of graduated beads at the base of the necklace.