Beautiful Cats Eye Chrysoberyl

Vintage Mens Cats Eye Chrysoberyl Ring 18K Gold. Click here for details. Photo ©2018 EraGem Jewelry   This handsome vintage mens ring features a stunning 7.6 carat cats eye chrysoberyl. In 1789, geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner discovered the semi-precious gemstone chrysoberyl. An aluminate of beryllium, chrysoberyl comes in several popular varieties, including alexandrite and cats eye chrysoberyl.  

Cats Eye Chrysoberyl

While the primary chemical formulation of cats eye chrysoberyl remains aluminate of beryllium, inside the crystal lattice rests an uncommon inclusion. The included material, called rutile, is titanium dioxide. Under a microscope it looks like needle-like crystals of a reddish-brown color. When bands of these needle-like crystals, sometimes referred to as "silk," form parallel to the C-axis, gemcutters can maximize this inclusion to create a very special effect called chatoyancy. Chatoyancy occurs when a gemstone with silk parallel to the c-axis is cut in cabochon, with the cuts made perpendicular to the c-axis. This results in a shifting band of light which bisects the stone across the center. This band of light shifts as the stone moves from side to side. Looking straight on, it looks just like the slits a cat's eyes form. Thus, the term chatoyancy, a word combination involving two French words: chat and oeil. Chat means cat, and oeil means eye. When used by itself in the industry, the term cats eye always refers to its chrysoberyl form. Other stones must be labeled with what they are, such as aquamarine, topaz, etc.  

Other Cats Eye Stones

As mentioned before, chrysoberyl is not the only gemstone that can be cut en cabochon to reveal a cats eye. Tiger's eye, perhaps the other most famous type of cats eye stone, is a yellowish-brown variety of quartz in which chalcedony replaces the crocidolite in the crystal structure. Tiger's eye and chrysoberyl cats eye are the most popular cats eye gemstones. In addition to these, cats eyes emerge in moonstone, apatite, quartz, tourmaline, topaz, and spinel. They also show up in more valuable semiprecious stones, such as garnet, aquamarine, and peridot. Sapphires are another stone in which the rutile bands can be found. Typically, blue sapphires and rubies display another form of light play called asterism. In layman's terms, a star sapphire.  

The Rarity of Cats Eye Chrysoberyl

Chrysoberyl surfaces primarily in Brazil, India, China, and Zimbabwe. Wherever chrysoberyl resides, cats eye chrysoberyl may coexist. However, chatoyant stones comprise only a small percentage of total chrysoberyl extractions. Early on in the stone's discovery, Sri Lanka proved a hearty source of many precious and semi-precious gemstones, including cats eye chrysoberyl. Indeed, it proved the source of the largest cats eye, weighing over 700 carats. Miners discovered the stone on the estate belonging to The Grand Lady Iddamalgoda Kumarihamy. The Grand Lady gifted the massive uncut stone to her eldest daughter's husband. He, in turn, gave it to his eldest son, whom The Grand Lady adopted as her heir. Upon reaching adulthood, her grandson assumed the position of Dissawa, or Governor, of Sri Lanka. In 1930, the Dissawa invited a famous gemcutter from the region of Ratnapura to come to his home. With the Dissawa presiding over the planning and cutting of the stone, this gemcutter shaved off nearly 300 carats to shape it into a spectacular 465-carat cabochon. The Smithsonian calls the gem, called The Eye of the Lion, the world's largest cats eye chrysoberyl. Though the Smithsonian hopes one day to house the stone in its collection, today experts believe the Eye of the Lion belongs to a gemstone dealer based in Bangkok. {source}  

Key Qualities of Cats Eye Cabochons

Looking to purchase a cats eye jewel? We recommend working exclusively with a reputable dealer who clearly defines their terms and uses the appropriate labels for their different cats eye gemstones. In addition, we recommend you choose a cats eye cabochon that, in the very least, demonstrates a clear band (or sometimes a square) of light that moves smoothly across the surface as the stone rotates. In a superior cats eye, this band of light should bisect the cabochon symmetrically and contrast sharply with the rest of the stone's body color. Chrysoberyl comes in various shades of green, yellow, brown, and red. Finally, when shopping for cats eye chrysoberyl, we advise you choose stones with superior color saturation. In addition to this striking vintage cats eye ring, we carry a lovely selection of mens and womens rings with cats eye chrysoberyl, including cats eye apatite, cats eye tourmaline, and even a cats eye emerald. Call today to shop with us for your cats eye ring.