What is tiger’s eye
A mineral called crocidolite, under the right conditions, turns into tiger’s eye over millions of years.
This process of changing from one mineral to another is called pseudomorphism.
So tiger’s eye is a pseudomorphed quartz crystal.
It usually has golden-brown and dark brown bands in it. But tiger’s eye does come in different colors, which I talk about more in the next section.
Another trait of tiger’s eye is chatoyancy, or it’s ability to reflect light in a way that resembles a cat’s eye reflecting light at night.
Types of tiger’s eye
Tiger’s eye comes in five colors, including golden-brown, red, blue, green, and black. I go into more detail about the different colors and what they do for you in this blog post.
Manufacturers can actually turn golden tiger’s eye into different colors with heat treatment and various methods, so that is something to keep in mind. Altered tiger’s eye is still tiger’s eye, just not the color it was when it left the ground.
Sometimes tiger’s eye is pure tiger’s eye and sometimes it’s mixed with other minerals or crystals in a single rock.
An example of a mixed rock is tiger iron. This kind of rock has tiger’s eye, black hematite, and red jasper in it.
Tiger’s eye meaning
Tiger’s eye is often associated with strength, courage, and protection, though different colors of the stone bring different benefits.
Tiger’s eye is believed to enhance one’s willpower and self-confidence, helping to overcome fear and anxiety. It also promotes clear thinking and decision-making, and helps you achieve goals.
Tiger’s eye is often used for spiritual and healing purposes.
It balances the lower chakras, particularly the sacral and solar plexus chakras, and helps release blocked emotions and negative thought patterns.
Some people use tiger’s eye to help with physical ailments, such as digestive problems, eye issues, and headaches.
Price of tiger’s eye
The price of tiger’s eye depends on several factors, such as the quality of the stone, its size and shape, and where it’s sold.
Tiger’s eye is considered to be an affordable gemstone and is widely available in jewelry stores and gemstone markets.
Small polished tiger’s eye stones or beads can cost anywhere from a few dollars to around $20, while large, high-quality tiger’s eye specimens and carved pieces can cost hundreds of dollars or more.
The cost of tiger’s eye jewelry, such as bracelets, necklaces, and earrings, also depends on the quality of the stones, other materials used, the design, and the craftsmanship or work involved to make the piece.
As a general rule, expect to pay anywhere from $10 to several hundred dollars for tiger’s eye jewelry.
Where to keep tiger’s eye
Keep tiger’s eye wherever you need motivation, focus, and courage. Some great places to keep tiger’s eye are on your body, in a desk, close to doors and windows, or with exercise gear.
Click here to get all my ideas on where to keep your tiger’s eye and why.
Where tiger’s eye comes from
Most types of tiger’s eye come from South Africa. But tiger’s eye is also mined in Australia, the USA, Brazil, India, Namibia in Africa, Canada, and China.
2 reasons why tiger’s eye is called tiger’s eye
Tiger’s eye mainly got its name for two reasons:
- Its shine
Tiger’s eye shines like the light reflecting off a cat’s eye at night.
This effect is called chatoyancy, and there are only a few crystals that have this quality.
You can find out why tiger’s eye shines so beautifully in this blog post.
2. Its colors
Most tiger’s eye is made of golden-brown and black stripes, much like the colors of a tiger’s coat.
So this is said to be another reason why tiger’s eye is called tiger’s eye.
How to tell if tiger’s eye is real
All crystals can be measured on the Mohs scale to determine how hard or soft the crystal is.
Tiger’s eye is graded as a 6.5 to 7 on this scale, which is quite high.
This gives us one easy way to tell if a tiger’s eye is real or not:
If the crystal cannot be scratched by a knife (5.5 on the Mohs scale so softer) but can be scratched with a masonry drill bit (8.5 on the Mohs scale so harder), it’s likely to be real tiger’s eye.
Click here for a list of all the ways to tell if a tiger’s eye is real or not.
Tiger’s eye vs cat’s eye
Tiger’s eye is not the same as cat’s eye, but tiger’s eye is sometimes called quartz cat’s eye.
Let me explain.
Tiger’s eye:
- Is quartz crystal
- Comes from crocidolite (blue asbestos)
Cat’s eye:
- Is chrysoberyl (not quartz)
- Comes from a mineral called rutile
As you can see, tiger’s eye and cat’s eye are not the same thing.
But some people and marketers call tiger’s eye “quartz cat’s eye” because tiger’s eye is quartz that shines like a cat’s eyes.
It’s widely accepted that these people are talking about tiger’s eye and not the real “cat’s eye”, even if some disagree with this name.
When a crystal is simply called cat’s eye, it’s not tiger’s eye at all.
Signs that should wear tiger’s eye
Tiger’s eye is not a birthstone but it’s believed to work very well for Leo, Capricorn, and Gemini.
Click here for a list of all the zodiac signs that should wear tiger’s eye and why.
