A tumbled tiger eye from South Africa, polished smooth, with golden-brown bands that shift a silky line of light across the surface as it moves. That effect is called chatoyancy; it comes from tiger eye's parallel fibrous structure, formed as quartz replaced fibres of an earlier mineral while preserving their alignment.
Mineral: Tiger eye (quartz, SiO₂)
Crystal system: Trigonal
Origin: South Africa
Hardness: 7 on the Mohs scale; durable and easy to handle
Treatment: None
Approx. size: 2.2 × 0.6 × 1.9 cm
Approx. weight: 5 g
Sold individually; yours will be similar to those shown.