How to identify Tiger's Eye
Tiger's Eye (variety of Chalcedony/Quartz)
Got a photo? Identify rocks instantly with the Rockby app
Open the appTo correctly identify Tiger's Eye (Tiger's Eye (variety of Chalcedony/Quartz)), check each of these features in order. Many rocks and minerals look alike, so cross-reference multiple properties before deciding.
Step-by-step identification
- 1
Color
Overall color and any zoning or banding
Golden-yellow, golden-brown, reddish-brown, sometimes with darker brown or black bands. The color is due to iron oxide inclusions.
- 2
Luster
How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull
Silky to vitreous, especially on polished surfaces, exhibiting strong chatoyancy.
- 3
Texture
Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy
Fibrous, often visible on broken surfaces, but typically smooth and polished for commercial use.
- 4
Crystal Form
Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces
Cryptocrystalline, meaning individual crystals are too small to be seen without high magnification. Forms as fibrous aggregates.
- 5
Cleavage
How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture
None, due to its cryptocrystalline nature and fibrous structure.
- 6
Geological Environment
The rock formation and setting where it occurs
Typically found in highly metamorphosed iron formations, where crocidolite asbestos has been altered and replaced by silica. Often occurs in veins or layers within these host rocks.
Key Facts
- Hardness
- 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale
- Specific Gravity
- 2.64-2.71 g/cm³
- Crystal System
- Trigonal (as quartz)
- Color
- Golden-yellow, golden-brown, reddish-brown
- Luster
- Silky to vitreous, chatoyant
- Transparency
- Opaque to translucent
- Fracture
- Conchoidal to splintery
- Cleavage
- None
- Composition
- Silicon dioxide (SiO₂) with fibrous inclusions of altered crocidolite and iron oxides
Physical characteristics
- Crystal Habit: Cryptocrystalline, fibrous aggregates, pseudomorph after crocidolite
- Cleavage Type: None
- Fracture Type: Conchoidal to splintery
- Tenacity: Brittle
- Luster Type: Silky to vitreous
Explore Tiger's Eye
Identify rocks anywhere
Free on iOS, Android, and Web. Photo identification, full database, and your personal collection.