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Home > Tiger's Eye > 5 Ways to Tell if tiger's Eye is Real

5 Ways to Tell if tiger's Eye is Real

Tiger's Eye in the current market may undergo treatments like heat or dyeing to achieve colors that don't naturally occur, such as emerald green or purple. Tiger's Eye is occasionally replicated with materials like Cat's-Eye Glass, particularly in bead or jewelry purchases. It's wise to purchase from reputable retailers and, if possible, request a certificate from a gem testing laboratory. Here are some handy tips to help you initially discern the authenticity of tiger's Eye.

1. Check for Chatoyancy

When held under strong light and slowly rotated, Tiger's Eye may display a chatoyant effect (cat's eye effect), with light reflecting off the surface, resulting in a silky or shimmering appearance resembling a tiger's eye pattern. This effect is particularly noticeable in polished stones.

2. Check for Banded Patterns

Real: Real Tiger's Eye typically displays parallel bands of golden-yellow and dark brown colors.
Fake: Fake Tiger's Eye made from cat's-eye glass typically lacks parallel bands of golden-yellow and dark brown colors.

3. Check the Color

Natural: Natural Tiger's Eye typically exhibits shades of brown or golden-yellow. Occasionally, it may also display hues of greyish-green to greyish-blue, a variation known commercially as "Falcon's Eye."
Heat-treated: The dark red variety of Tiger's Eye, commercially known as "Bull's Eye," is actually a result of heat treatment applied to the natural Tiger's Eye.
Dyed: Tiger's Eye may be bleached to lighten its color and then dyed to achieve any color, such as vibrant green, purple, blue, magenta, and more.

4. Hardness Test

Real: Real Tiger's Eye is harder than glass, making it capable of easily scratching glass. After a period of use, real Tiger's Eye typically doesn't exhibit noticeable wear.
Fake: Fake Tiger's Eye made from cat's-eye glass cannot scratch glass. Over time, cat's-eye glass will exhibit noticeable wear and gradually lose their original luster.

5. Acetone Test

Natural/Heat-treated: Rubbing the natural or heat-treated Tiger's Eye with nail polish remover (acetone/ethyl alcohol) won't cause the stone to fade.
Dyed: Swabbing the dyed stone with a Q-tip and some nail polish remover (acetone/ethyl alcohol) might cause it to fade. This method may not be effective for some dyed stones with better colorfastness.
Tiger's Eye
Tiger's Eye
A species of Quartz
Scientific name: Tiger's Eye
Mineral: Quartz
Description
Description
Striking in appearance, tiger's Eye can be polished to a high shine. It is the most common addition to cufflinks and men's rings, and is often used for jewelry beads. This semiprecious stone gets its name from from the appearance of a stripe in the polished gem, similar to the pupil of a cat's eye, that moves back and forth in the light.
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