Purple Tiger's Eye

Purple tiger's eye is natural tiger's eye, a chatoyant variety of quartz, that has been dyed purple; it is a treated natural material, not a naturally purple variety. Gemological references describe natural tiger's eye in golden to brown tones and in blue (hawk's eye), and Gemdat and IGS state that it can be dyed to any colour. The Japanese retailer Pascle also states that its purple tiger's eye is artificially dyed.

Products made with this material

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Tiger's Eye (purple)
Tiger's Eye (purple)

4mm / 6mm / 8mm / 10mm / 12mm

$9.99 Available

Full material guide
Material facts

What the material is, where it comes from or how it is made, identification and care, from the cited sources.

Properties

Nature Treated natural material: dyed tiger's eye (quartz)
Base material Tiger's eye: quartz with included, altered crocidolite fibres
Chemical formula SiO₂ (quartz host)
Color Light to dark purple, often bluish violet, grading into black bands (dyed)
Treatment Dyed
Crystal system Trigonal (quartz host)
Mohs hardness Tiger's eye: 7 (IGS, Mindat); Gemdat gives 6.5 to 7
Specific gravity Tiger's eye: 2.58 to 2.64 (Gemdat); IGS gives 2.55 to 2.91
Refractive index Tiger's eye: 1.544 to 1.553 (IGS); Gemdat gives 1.534 to 1.540
Cleavage and fracture No cleavage; conchoidal fracture
Luster Vitreous
Transparency Opaque
Optical phenomenon Chatoyancy (a moving band of light, the cat's-eye effect)

Origins & sources

Purple tiger's eye is made by dyeing natural tiger's eye. IGS lists Australia, China, Namibia, South Africa, England and the United States as sources of tiger's eye; the sources read do not document where the purple material is dyed.

Identification

The silky moving band of light and fibrous structure of tiger's eye remain visible through the purple colour; Pascle describes its purple tiger's eye as closer to bluish violet, grading into black. Because the references read describe no naturally purple tiger's eye, the colour itself indicates dye; GIA notes that a qualified gemologist can detect dyed gems in most cases. Chatoyant glass and plastic made from fused optical fibres imitate cat's-eye stones in any colour.

Care

GIA advises keeping dyed gems away from solvents such as acetone or alcohol, which can dissolve dyes, and out of prolonged sunlight, which can fade them; Pascle likewise warns that its dyed tiger's eye may change colour in long sun exposure. The quartz itself is durable: IGS rates tiger's eye's wearability as very good, with a hardness of about 7.

History & culture

History

Not collected yet

Cultural meanings

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Traditional beliefs

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Sources

Collected Oct 23, 2026