Tiger's eye

Tiger's eye
General
CategoryMinerals
FormulaSilica (SiO2)
Identification
Colourgolden to red-brown
Mohs scale hardness6.5–7
LusterSilky
Specific gravity2.64–2.71

Tiger's eye (also called tiger eye) is a chatoyant gemstone that is usually a metamorphic rock with a golden to red-brown colour and a silky lustre. As members of the quartz group, tiger's eye and the related blue-coloured mineral hawk's eye gain their silky, lustrous appearance from the parallel intergrowth of quartz crystals and altered amphibole fibres that have mostly turned into limonite.