Red Tiger's Eye

Protective • Insight • Clarity • Goal-setting • Strength • Courage • Confidence

Energetic properties

A protective stone that draws attention inward and toward the bigger picture. It shields against external negativity and promotes insight into ourselves and others. Helps with taking a step back, maintaining perspective, integrating information, and achieving your goals. Red Tiger’s Eye can provide strength, courage, and confidence during difficult times, and supports internal conflict, dilemmas, doubt, and indecision. It promotes calm, eases pain, and soothes overstimulation of the nervous system. Physically, it benefits asthma, the eyes, throat, and reproductive organs. It may also be helpful for those dealing with personality disorders or depression.

Suitable for children from around 2 years old.

Formation

Tiger’s Eye forms through a metamorphic process involving the fibrous mineral crocidolite, a variety of asbestos. Under high pressure and temperature within the Earth’s crust, crocidolite is transformed into quartz while its fibrous structure is preserved. During this transformation, other minerals like limonite and hematite become incorporated, creating the characteristic banded appearance and shimmering chatoyancy for which Tiger’s Eye is known.

Red Tiger’s Eye specifically forms through the oxidation of iron-bearing minerals in regular Tiger’s Eye. When exposed to prolonged heat and oxidation, the iron in the inclusions changes, resulting in the reddish, rust-brown, and golden hues characteristic of Red Tiger’s Eye.

It’s important to note that while naturally occurring Red Tiger’s Eye exists, it is quite rare. More commonly, golden Tiger’s Eye is heat-treated to produce the red tones.

Etymology

Tiger’s Eye is named for its reflective sheen, reminiscent of a tiger’s eye. This slit-like shimmer effect is known as chatoyancy. The 'red' refers to its specific coloration.

In retail, Red Tiger’s Eye is sometimes also called Bull’s Eye or Cat’s Eye. However, 'Cat’s Eye' can also refer to a gray quartz variety or a yellow-green beryl type, so confusion may arise.

Care

Tiger's Eye is relatively hard and durable and doesn’t require special care. It can be cleaned under running water and gently patted dry with a soft cloth. It may also be cleansed and recharged using sage, incense or moonlight.

Origin

Red Tiger’s Eye is found in various parts of the world, with the most notable sources being South Africa and Australia. In South Africa, it is primarily found in the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces. In Australia, the main deposits are located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Other known sources include India, Brazil, and the United States.

Availability

Red Tiger’s Eye is relatively rare compared to the more common golden variety. While Tiger’s Eye in general is not considered rare, the red coloration occurs less frequently. To increase availability, golden Tiger’s Eye is often heat-treated to enhance its red hues and produce Red Tiger’s Eye.

Properties

Composition: SiO₂
Hardness: 7
Density: 2.6

Associated with Red Tiger's Eye