Western Australia Over two billion years ago, when tectonic plates shifted to form the Australian continent, deposits of red jasper, chatoyant tiger's eye and black hematite were forced together under great pressure. The ancient ornamental gemstone, known as "tiger eye matrix," is the fascinating and beautiful product of these monumental geologic events. While the stone is billions of years old, only small specimens have been offered on the market until recently. Because the physical properties of each of the three minerals differ so greatly, only an experienced lapidary has the ability to work this material. The tiger iron in the present example is of exceptional quality with dramatic contrasts between the hematite, red jasper and tiger's eye. This is a particularly difficult mineral to carve into a sphere. Diameter 7 1/2 in
Western Australia Over two billion years ago, when tectonic plates shifted to form the Australian continent, deposits of red jasper, chatoyant tiger's eye and black hematite were forced together under great pressure. The ancient ornamental gemstone, known as "tiger eye matrix," is the fascinating and beautiful product of these monumental geologic events. While the stone is billions of years old, only small specimens have been offered on the market until recently. Because the physical properties of each of the three minerals differ so greatly, only an experienced lapidary has the ability to work this material. The tiger iron in the present example is of exceptional quality with dramatic contrasts between the hematite, red jasper and tiger's eye. This is a particularly difficult mineral to carve into a sphere. Diameter 7 1/2 in
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
