Tiger Eye Meaning and How to Wear It

Tiger eye is the stone you end up turning in your fingers without noticing. Tilt it and a band of light slides across the surface, then slides back. That moving light is the whole reason people fall for it, and it comes from inside the stone itself.

What tiger eye is

Tiger eye is a form of quartz. Inside it run fine parallel fibres, and as light hits them it gathers into a single bright band that seems to float on the surface. Gemmologists call this chatoyancy, from the French word for a cat's eye, and it is why tiger eye is usually cut as a smooth dome rather than with facets. A dome lets the band roll across the stone as it moves.

Its colours run through honey and gold into deep brown, in bands that change with every stone. No two pieces of tiger eye look quite alike, which is part of the appeal.

Tiger eye meaning

Tiger eye has a long history in folklore. In many traditions it is said to be a stone of courage and steady focus, and it was traditionally carried as a protective charm, the watchful eye that sees trouble coming. Those are stories people have told about the stone for a long time rather than anything it can promise, and they are worth knowing as part of why tiger eye has stayed so popular.

Tiger eye bracelet meaning

A bracelet is the most traditional way to wear tiger eye, because the wrist keeps the stone close and in view. In the same folk traditions, wearing it on the wrist is said to keep its steadying qualities near you through the day. Most people wear it there for a plainer reason. A stone at the wrist is one you see every time you reach for a cup or type a message.

The Talisman Bracelet sets a single tiger eye cabochon in a wire-wrapped setting on a 22k gold plated chain, with small pearls along it. It fits a 14 to 17cm wrist.

How to wear tiger eye

Tiger eye is warm, so it sits most naturally with other warm colours.

• With gold. Gold plating brings out the honey in the stone. Both the Talisman and the Lynx Studs set tiger eye in 22k gold plated metal.
• With white and cream. A white linen shirt or a cream knit gives the brown and gold somewhere to stand out.
• With pearls. The soft white of a pearl beside the darker stone is an easy pairing, and it is why the Talisman carries both.
• In layers. The Sienna Set strings tiger eye among other beads on one strand and hangs a tiger eye pendant from a gold plated chain below it, so the stone appears twice at two heights.

On the ear

Tiger eye studs show the band of light more than any other piece, because every tilt of your head moves it. The Lynx Studs are domed tiger eye cabochons in an irregular 22k gold plated bezel on a 925 silver post, about 1.8cm tall and 1.3cm wide. They look a little different from every side of the room.

Caring for tiger eye

Quartz is a hard stone and copes well with daily wear, but the gold plating around it needs gentler handling. Wipe it with a soft cloth, keep it away from perfume and water, and store it apart from other pieces. Our guide to caring for gold plated jewellery covers the rest.

Every piece with tiger eye in it is in tiger eye jewellery. If you like the way tiger eye pairs with pearl, read the difference between freshwater, baroque and shell pearls.