Pietersite

PIETERSITE, a member of the quartz family, forms in masses which are pseudomorphic jasper inclusions after asbestos. It has a hardness of 7 and is characterized by a dramatic chatoyancy (cat’s eye effect), with contrasting colors of gold, brown, blue, gray, and black, as well areas of clear quartz. Pietersite is said to enhance clarity of thought and encourage intuitive leaps. It it also said to activate the imagination, stimulate psychic vision, and enhance telepathy. First discovered in Namibia, South Africa in 1962 by Namibian mineralogist Sid Pieters, this stone is also found in China.