Description
Amazing Namibian pietersite oval cabochon, bezel set in sterling silver with an ornate bail. Wow!
Dimensions: (3″ long-with bail) x (1.3″ wide) x (.28″ thick)
Weight: .82 ounces/23.3 grams
PIETERSITE, a member of the quartz family, was discovered by miner Sid Pieters in 1962 while he was prospecting near Outjo in north-central Namibia, Africa. It is described as a ‘brecciated chatoyant silicified riebecktite’, a process through which tiger’s eye and hawk’s eye minerals are broken up and cemented (brecciated) in the mineral crocidolite (a fibrous riebecktite). The crocidolite is infiltrated by groundwater dissolved silica (thereby becoming silicified), a combination that is subsequently polymorphed into quartz. The conditions for this highly complex process to occur are extremely rare.
To date, the only finds have been at two sites in Namibia, and briefly, from a mine in Hunan, China, which is now closed down. The Namibian material has been considered far superior to that from China, with more vivid colors and far greater hardness (7 on the Mohs Scale).
With the Chinese mine now closed, and with very limited production in Namibia, prices for this rare, distinctively Namibian mineral have been impacted, leading to its increasing value.
Pietersite, also known as the Tempest Stone or Eagle’s Eye, is said to enhance clarity of thought and encourage intuitive leaps. It is also said to activate the imagination, stimulate psychic vision, and enhance telepathy
