The stone guide
Tiger Eye
Light that moves when you do.
- Mineral family
- Quartz
- Colour
- Golden brown with a moving band of light
- Hardness
- 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale
- Usual cut
- Always cabochon, cut across the fibres
- Traditionally for
- Confidence, Grounding, Protection
- Origin
- Sourced through our Jaipur partner
What it actually is
Tiger eye is quartz that has replaced a fibrous mineral and kept its parallel structure. Light reflecting off those aligned fibres forms a single bright band that slides across the dome as the stone turns. The effect is called chatoyancy, and it is the same phenomenon that gives a cat's eye its name.
How it looks in different light
Needs a single direct light source for the band to form. Under diffuse light it reads as plain banded brown. This is the stone most worth seeing in person.
Natural characteristics
Band sharpness and position vary with how the rough was oriented. Colour runs from honey to deep coffee brown, sometimes with a reddish or grey-blue cast.
Durability and care
Durable enough for regular wear. Warm soapy water and a soft cloth. Avoid harsh chemicals.
The full care guide covers storage, cleaning and what to avoid across every stone we set.
Traditional associations
In crystal traditions Tiger Eye is most often connected with confidence, grounding and protection. In Vedic astrology the stone is associated with Surya, the Sun.
Wearing Tiger Eye
We set Tiger Eye in the Halo Ring and the Iris Pendant. Against rhodium-finished silver it reads cool and recessive, which is the point: the metal holds the stone and gets out of the way.
In this stone
2 pieces in Tiger Eye
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