THE MAGIC OF TIGERS EYE 🤎
It’s not often I fall so in love with a haul of crystals that I need to write a blog post about them - but here we are. TIGERS EYE, whoa. #WTAF is happening in these amazing, beaming gemstones? I’m so mesmerized by them that I had to deep dive and share a little history and what makes them so magical!
To be frank, brown crystals were never really my jam. I never spent any time on them because they didn’t aesthetically call to me. I associated brown with drab. I found that at crystal shows I’d move right on past them and didn’t think twice about it. But…. on a whim last week I was thinking maybe I should bring in some slightly more masculine gift ideas for Valentine’s Day so I called my vendor and asked if they had TIGERS EYE PUFFY HEARTS and she said yes so I had some shipped over. I didn’t ask her the price (very unlike me) I just ordered blindly assuming they were about the same price as other hearts I’d bought. These arrived and ended up being more than 3x the cost I expected so I thought shit, these better be worth it baby!
I ran the scissors across the box, popping open each flap, I moved the bubble wrap aside and began unfolding the kraft paper bundles that we’re oh so carefully wrapped around each and every stone. I knew this was a sign that something good was about to happen. These hearts we’re wrapped like royalty. I couldn’t wait to unveil them all.
Upon pulling open the very first bundle I was captivated. The way the light danced inside the perfectly polished gemstone with such power and intensity. It felt like I was looking INSIDE the heart not at it. Tigers Eye has this optical effect called chatoyancy. It’s a word of French origin ‘chatoyer’ meaning “shimmering“ or some say “cat’s eye”. It is where an object has a changeable luster or color with an undulating band of light giving off an iridescence from within.
Tigers Eye lives in the Quartz family. When mined rough, it appears flat, rather dull with multiple layers - but when polished it flourishes into its full brilliant chatoyance showcasing all the fibrous inclusions and cavities within the stone. Luminous chatoyant streaks range from golden rich yellows, to caramel, to dark sugar browns. If you’re lucky you’ll come across Tigers Eye that has vibrant golden pockets containing flashes of deep dark sea blues. My personal favorite one to find.
When being ‘cut’ jewelers know that to play up the stones best effect - it should be cut as en cabochon. A cabochon is rounded with flat base with the fibrous structure running parallel for the optimal effect and light capture. I’m assuming the people that carve these gemstones also know just where to shape these puffy hearts because each one we unwrapped has a magical aesthetic I’m so stoked on! I couldn’t be more happy to have these in the shop. And as I initially intended, these do make a great more masculine Valentines Day guys gift. 🤎🤎
The metaphyscial healing properties of TIGERS EYE is said to be all seeing, all knowing. Offering protection, luck and courage. Repels anxiety and tension. Be brave and explore what life has to offer! Be your own adventure, or give as a gift to remind someone else that they are their own magic ~and fortune favors the brave.
xx Heather
