Saturday, February 18, 2012

Saturday's Gem - Tiger's Eye

I love hunting for gems and minerals whether it is out in the desert or at a site or at a garage sale or a store.  I love the cold of the stones when I am wearing real stone jewelry and nothing can beat the weight either.  I try to steer clear of any kind of plastic jewelry but once in a while something is just too cute to pass up.  One of my favorite minerals is Tiger's Eye.
This amazing slab that is just waiting to show off its true potential was found in ETSY Shop Lapidary Dreams at http://www.etsy.com/shop/lapidarydreams?ref=seller_info
Tiger's Eye is a pseudomorph of quartz and is formed by silification of crocidolite.  I has a silky fibery look to the actual stone and when polished those fibers or the column structure plays with the light giving it a kind of pearly iridescence.  The beautiful yellow comes from brown iron.
This awesome Specimen was found in Etsy shop Wooly Mittens Studio at http://www.etsy.com/people/WoolyMittenStudios?ref=ls_profile
It can be found in California (unfortunately I have not found any yet myself) and it is also found in Burma, Western Australia and India. 

Best of all is the look and feel of Tiger's Eye jewelry.  I will sell vintage jewelry but when I find a piece that uses Tiger's Eye I always end up keeping it for myself.  Here are some lovely pieces found at Etsy...

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