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Tiger's eye, also termed Tigers eye and Tiger eye, is a gemstone composed predominately of the tectosilicate mineral quartz. Tiger's eye is formed when silica replaces fibrous crocidolite (blue asbestos), a sodium iron silicate in the amphibole family formed from metamorphically altered ironstones.

Tiger's eye is named after the gemstone's characteristic luminous chatoyant band resembling a cat's eye, an artifact of the parallel orientation of the original asbestos fibers. Tiger's eye occurs naturally in golden yellow to brown colors that are due to the alteration of the original asbestos fibers to iron oxides which are subsequently replaced by silica. If the asbestos fibers are replaced by silica before their alteration to iron oxides takes place, a rarer blue form of Tiger's eye known as Hawk's eye results. An attractive red variety of Tiger's eye is created through heat treatment of yellow material. The major sources of Tiger's eye are South Africa and Australia. Lesser occurrences are reported from Canada, China, Brazil, Burma, India and the United States.

Tiger's Eye is most commonly presented in jewelry as cabochons, beads and carvings. Tiger's Eye is a relatively tough and hard material (7 Mhos hardness) with good wear characteristics and resistance to abrasion. Tiger's Eye wears well in rings and bracelets and is commonly employed as a gemstone in all types of jewelry. Tiger's Eye does not have specific care requirements, but conservative gemstone precautions should be observed when cleaning and storing Tiger's Eye for the sake of preserving the original condition of the stone. It is safest to clean Tiger's Eye using warm water, mild soap and a cloth or soft brush. Do not use an ultrasonic or steam cleaner and keep Tiger's Eye out of contact with excessive heat, acids, ammonia and other chemical or abrasive cleaners.

BeadStrand14 - Gold Tiger's Eye Gemstone Beads 8mm Round - $2.65

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Approximate Size: 8mm diameter. Please note the image at left may be larger than life to help show the fine details. Strand lengths are approximately 8 inches long and each strand contains approximately 25 beads. Average strand weight approximately 19 grams. Natural golden yellow tiger's eye rounds.

BeadStrand15 - Gold Tiger's Eye Gemstone Beads 6mm Round - $2.65

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Approximate Size: 6mm diameter. Please note the image at left may be larger than life to help show the fine details. Strand lengths are approximately 8 inches long and each strand contains approximately 32 beads. Average strand weight approximately 11 grams. Natural golden yellow tiger's eye rounds.

BeadStrand16 - Gold Tiger's Eye Gemstone Beads 10mm Square - $2.65

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Approximate Size: 10mm long x 10mm wide x 4.5mm thick. Please note the image at left may be larger than life to help show the fine details. Strand lengths are approximately 8 inches long and each strand contains approximately 16 beads. Average strand weight approximately 15 grams. Natural golden yellow tiger's eye diagonally drilled squares.

Approximate Size: 8mm diameter. Please note the image at left may be larger than life to help show the fine details. Strand lengths are approximately 8 inches long and each strand contains approximately 25 beads. Average strand weight approximately 19 grams. Treatments: Heat Treated Red tiger's eye rounds.

Approximate Size: 10mm long x 10mm wide x 4.5mm thick. Please note the image at left may be larger than life to help show the fine details. Strand lengths are approximately 8 inches long and each strand contains approximately 16 beads. Average strand weight approximately 16 grams. Treatments: Heat Treated Red tiger's eye diagonally drilled squares.

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