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History and Lore
The
ancient historians called Cat’s-Eye Chrysoberyl cycophane,
which means “waving light”.
Ancient
people in many cultures thought that Cat’s-Eye Chrysoberyl
had the power to cure diseases of the eye.
The eye in
Cat’s-Eye Chrysoberyl will appear to blink when you hold the
gem between two light sources and then rotate it. As you
turn the stone, the eye splits into two beads that move
apart, then back together. This effect is called opening and
closing.
Quality, Value &Availability
The most
important value factor for a Cat’s-Eye stone is the
strength, sharpness and symmetry of the eye.
Cat’s-Eye
Chrysoberyl ranges in colour from a “honey” brown to an
apple green with rich gold colours generally the most
valued.
Fine
Cat’s-Eye Chrysoberyl often also shows the “milk n honey”
effect. When a bright light is pointed at the side of the
stone, perpendicular to the cat’s eye, one side of the eye
will be milky white and the other remains gold to brown.
When the stone is rotated, the colours switch.
In order
to display the cat’s eye effect, this Chrysoberyl must be
cut un an oval or round smooth dome known as cabochon.
There is
also a transparent variety of Chrysoberyl, that has a yellow
to honey-gold colour. Such faceted stones may remind you of
yellow sapphire, topaz or citrine.
Sources
Chrysoberyl displaying the cat’s eye effect is found in Sri
lanka, Brazil, Tanzania, Madagascar and India.
Routine Enhancements
There is
no routine enhancement of the Chrysoberyl.
Care & Cleaning
Chrysoberyl is a hard and durable gem with a hardness of
8.5 on the Mohs scale, with excellent toughness. It is very
popular in men’s rings as a result.
Clean with
mild dish soap in warm water: use a toothbrush to scrub to
scrub behind the stone where dust can collect. |
