Golden Tiger's Eye: the yellow-gold tiger's eye, trade name and care

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'Golden tiger's eye' is a trade name for yellow-gold to brown tiger's eye, the classic form of this stone with crocidolite fibres. Nature, safety, care and imitations.

Key points

Colour	golden yellow to honey brown, with a silky sheen that moves across the stone (chatoyancy)
Nature	trade name for golden tiger's eye: quartz containing oxidised crocidolite fibres
Cause of the colour	oxidation of the iron in the fibres, mainly into limonite (iron hydroxides)
Hardness (Mohs)	about 6.5 to 7
Density	about 2.6 to 2.7
Deposits	mainly South Africa and Western Australia; also India, Namibia, United States
Possible treatments	acid lightening, dyeing, heating (which gives red)
Imitations	fibre-optic glass; chrysotile serpentine sold as 'tiger's eye' from Arizona or California
Traditional correspondences	solar plexus chakra, fire or earth element, depending on the authors

What is 'golden tiger's eye'?

'Golden tiger's eye' (tigre doré in French) is not a mineral species: it is a trade name for the yellow-gold to honey-brown tiger's eye, that is, the classic colour of this stone. There is no 'golden tiger' stone distinct from ordinary tiger's eye: sellers add 'golden' to specify the colour, as opposed to red tiger's eye (heated) or blue tiger's eye (hawk's eye).

The stone is quartz containing parallel fibres, first of crocidolite (a blue amphibole), whose iron has oxidised into iron hydroxides, limonite. This golden colour gives a silky sheen that glides across the stone, like a cat's eye: this is chatoyancy. It is hard (6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, density about 2.6 to 2.7).

How is tiger's eye formed?

The explanation long accepted was that quartz had gradually replaced the crocidolite fibres while keeping their shape. A study by Pennsylvania State University (Heaney and Fisher, 2003, in the journal Geology) proposed something else: a process of successive cracking and sealing (crack-seal), in which the crocidolite fibres and the quartz are deposited together in tiny fissures in the rock. According to the researchers, it is the fibres that create the chatoyancy; their iron then oxidises and produces the browns and golds.

Major deposits are found mainly in South Africa and Western Australia; according to the references consulted, tiger's eye is also mined in India, Namibia and the United States. The stone is almost always cut as a cabochon to show off its sheen.

Safety: crocidolite fibres

Crocidolite is blue asbestos. Tiger's eye was long considered harmless; the 2003 study showed that crocidolite fibres remain in the stone. No particular risk is known for a polished, intact stone, worn or placed. The precaution concerns dust.

Cutting, sanding, sawing, drilling: to be avoided. If you work the stone, do it under water, with a suitable filter mask and ventilation.
Broken stone: keep the pieces in a sealed bag; do not sand them.
Elixir and mouth: never; keep an eye on children (risk of swallowing).

Traditional symbolism

Tiger's eye is a very old stone in popular belief: in several regions it was credited with the ability to ward off the evil eye. In the modern world of crystals, its golden colour and feline sheen have earned it associations with courage, self-confidence, lucidity and perseverance.

These are traditions and symbols, with no scientific proof. The stone does not replace medical advice or psychological support.

Traditional correspondences

Area	Correspondence cited
Chakra	solar plexus; sometimes sacral or root
Element	fire, or earth
Signs	Leo, Capricorn, Gemini (very variable)
Keywords	courage, confidence, lucidity

See the solar plexus chakra and the origin of the chakras.

How to use it

In beads and bracelets: gold goes well with many colours (bracelets).
As a cabochon: pendant or ring; a polished dome brings out the sheen (jewellery guide).
As a tumbled stone: a pebble to hold or to place on a desk.
As a sphere or egg: decoration on a stand, to look at under a lamp.

Care and cleansing

Cleaning: lukewarm water, mild soap, soft cloth.
Sunlight: a brief exposure is harmless; avoid long exposures if the piece is dyed or treated.
Heat: avoid strong sources: heat turns the stone towards red.
Acids, solvents, household products: to be avoided.
Salt: possible on a polished pebble, but rinse afterwards.
Knocks: hard but brittle; store it separately.
Symbolic cleansing: smoke, sound or moonlight (guide).

Recognising real tiger's eye and its imitations

Material	Appearance	Remark
Natural tiger's eye	golden and brown bands with a moving sheen, fine fibres	the stone described here
Fibre-optic glass	very sharp, regular sheen, repeated pattern, bubbles	common imitation
Chrysotile serpentine	green to brown fibres, softer	sold as 'Arizona' or 'California' tiger's eye
Cat's eye (chrysoberyl)	sharp eye on a honey stone, very hard (8.5)	imitated, conversely, by honey-coloured tiger's eye
Tiger iron	tiger's eye, red jasper and black hematite	a different rock (see tiger iron)

Stones that are too dark are sometimes lightened with an acid bath, and some pieces are dyed or heated; this is not always stated. See how to read a label, real or fake stone and our commitments.

How to choose

Golden tiger's eye is very affordable. Look at the sheen: the clearer and wider the luminous band, the finer the piece. A gold stone without fibres or sheen is suspect. For a cabochon, prefer a well-polished dome; for a beginner, a tumbled stone is enough.

Pairings: with hawk's eye, bull's eye, citrine or yellow jasper.