Description
A perfect pairing of South African tiger’s eye on top, and Namibian pietersite on the bottom. These two African beauties are bezel set in sterling silver. From our very own Geoclassics jewelry line!
Dimensions: (2.8″ long-with bail) x (1″ wide) x (.22″ thick)
Weight: .5 ounces/14.1 grams
TIGER’S EYE is one of a small group of silicates which, when appropriately cut, reflect shimmering, golden bands of light. This quality, known as chatoyancy (French for cat’s eye), is produced when light is reflected from tiny, fibrous inclusions oriented in parallel within the stone. Iron oxide gives Tiger’s Eye its golden brown color, while Cat’s Eye is greenish-gray, Hawk’s Eye is blue-gray, and Bull’s Eye is mahogany. Tiger’s eye is found primarily in South Africa, but also in Australia, Burma and California. Though all of the cat’s eye stones are said to enhance perception, Tiger’s Eye is particularly useful for bringing mind and body into balance, creating an overall sense of well being.
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
