9.60 Ct. Cabochon Tiger's Eye from South Africa

One specimen offered by The Natural Gemstone Company is a single golden brown tiger's eye, weighing 9.60 carats, cut into an oval outline with dimensions of 18.04 x 13.05 x 5.79 mm. The cutting style is cabochon, exhibiting a well controlled dome profile and a pronounced cat eye band. Clarity is graded opaque when evaluated at eye level, consistent with the aggregate chatoyant structure typical of tiger's eye. The polish is excellent, producing a high gloss surface that enhances reflectivity and band contrast, and the stone is offered in natural state with no enhancement. The material is sourced from South Africa, a provenance known for producing pieces with strong parallel fibrous structure and deep golden to brown body tones. Color intensity is listed as not applicable as a formal grade in the supplied data, however the piece displays a deep chocolate brown body color with a bright, narrow golden band that provides visual separation and contrast.

From a gemological perspective the cabochon execution on this tiger's eye demonstrates careful control of doming geometry and fiber axis orientation, which are the primary determinants of chatoyancy. The cutter has oriented the fibrous silica layers parallel to the long axis of the oval to create a single linear band that runs across the dome. The dome height to width ratio is intentional, the 5.79 mm thickness providing sufficient dome to allow incident light to be captured and reflected by the aligned silica fibers, creating a sharp well defined line. The band width and sharpness are governed by the degree of parallelism in the internal fibrous structure and the precision of the grind, and in this specimen the band is narrow and well centered, indicating tight fiber alignment and controlled cabochon curvature. Under directional lighting the phenomenon becomes more pronounced, with the golden line translating across the dome as the viewing angle changes, a behavior that is central to the aesthetic assessment of chatoyant stones.

The fabrication sequence for a piece of this character typically begins with careful preforming to establish the oval outline and to orient the fiber axis. Controlled grinding follows to establish the dome profile, paying attention to symmetrical curvature and edge blending to avoid stepped surfaces that would diffuse the cat eye effect. Fine sanding through progressively finer abrasives removes subsurface damage and optical haze, and the final polish in this case was executed to an excellent finish, likely employing a combination of felt or leather laps with polishing compounds such as cerium oxide or tin oxide to achieve the high gloss. No treatments were applied, so the original fibrous structure and iron staining chemistry responsible for the golden brown coloration remain unaltered. The absence of enhancements simplifies grading and long term stability considerations, and preserves the natural optical interplay between the fibrous pseudomorph silica and the retained iron minerals.

For jewelry design and mounting the dimensions and cabochon geometry suggest specific technical choices. To maximize the cat eye effect the golden band should be oriented parallel to the longest axis of the setting, so the line traverses the visual plane when worn. Bezel settings are recommended for cabochons of this thickness and shape, they support the girdle uniformly and protect the edges while allowing the dome to remain exposed for optimal light interaction. When specifying a seat for this 5.79 mm height the bench jeweler should allow for a shallow recess that secures the base while leaving the dome free, and tolerances should accommodate the cabochon thickness plus minimal clearance for adhesive if used. The material hardness is in the range of quartz family standards, making it suitable for daily wear if set securely, but cleaning should be performed with warm water, mild detergent and a soft brush, avoiding prolonged exposure to acids, excessive heat or harsh ultrasonic environments that could affect accessory materials used in the mounting. For provenance and quality assurance buyers may request documentation of origin and the no enhancement status, and The Natural Gemstone Company stands behind the description and condition of this oval golden brown tiger's eye.