This amazing stone received its beautiful name due to an effect reminiscent of a cat’s eye - a light stripe appears on the surface of the processed mineral, like a vertical pupil. It looks at least unusual; it was not for nothing that ancient people shunned the cat's eye, believing that it was associated with witchcraft. Others, on the contrary, believed in the protective powers of the stone, making it their talisman.
For the first time, the unusual cat's eye effect was achieved by processing yellowish-green chrysoberyl. The resemblance turned out to be amazing: not only the pupil, but also the color and the shimmer of the stone - everything gave it a similarity to the eye of a predator.
Much later, fears and superstitions were left in the past, and many people wanted to possess this wonderful mineral. Even now, such stones, flawless and well-cut, can cost about the same as a diamond of the same size would cost.
Varieties and colors
The diverse color palette makes the influence of the talisman on the aura of its owner different:
- Gold and brown tint (“tiger”) is a stone of power; it is chosen by managers, politicians, and businessmen who are responsible for making decisions. The crystal helps them gain confidence in their abilities and strengthen their authority, and gain support. In this case, the stone is worn so that it is better visible, for example, in the form of a ring or on the chest.
- Yellow cat's eye is one of its most common varieties. Mineral of mentors, teachers, clergy. Its power lies in enhancing the gift of persuasion. In the form of an amulet, a pendant or ring with a yellow cat's eye is preferable.
- A dark green crystal will support people engaged in heavy physical work, reduce stress, increase concentration, and restore emotional balance. Magical properties protect against the evil eye, damage and the machinations of energy vampires.
- The golden-green shade is closest to the color of a cat's pupil and is rightfully considered a magnet for money. This is a mineral for financiers, businessmen, analysts, and economists dealing with large cash flows. Will help you conclude profitable deals and minimize the risk of losing money. Effective in the form of a rosary or bracelet.
The grinding should be filigree so that the axis of the strip is located in the middle, imitating the pupil of a cat. The iridescent hue appears due to the reflection of light from air bubbles enclosed in the mineral.
Choosing a stone by date of birth
Although Leo and diamond make an ideal pair, the main stone of Leo, according to astrologers, is amber. It is the frozen resin that gives people of this sign the joy of life, teaches them generosity and generosity. Each ten-day period of the zodiac month has its own guardian stones, distributed by date of birth. Which stone is suitable for Leos?
July 23 – August 3
According to the zodiac sign, Leo during this period is under the protection of the ringed Saturn. The planet gives him a love of risk, and only Leo’s natural ingenuity and intelligence allow them to avoid disaster. They need stones with strong energy as assistants . Among them are flaming scarlet ruby, pharaonic jade, incomparable diamond, wise jasper and solar carnelian.
August 4–12
Jupiter time. Leos born in this decade are distinguished by authoritarianism and excessive scrupulousness. Sometimes their demands on their subordinates go beyond what is reasonable. Unquestioning obedience of employees is their style of work as a manager.
Energetic support comes to them from such minerals as insightful cat's eye, fiery opal, happiness-bringing sardonyx and faithful protector amber.
Important! For Leos who cannot keep their anger in check and who suffer from outbursts of aggressiveness, golden topaz will help.
August 13–22
People of this decade received the strength and intelligence of Mars, under whose protection they come to our world. Egoists by nature, they are ambitious and know how to achieve their goals. Talismans of this period have the same strong energy. They are accompanied by delightful diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, more modest hyacinth and garnet, and mysterious alexandrite and tourmaline.
Medicinal properties
The strong energy of the stone provides invaluable assistance in healing practice, enhancing the effect of medications and therapeutic treatments:
- Restores vision, relieves fatigue and tension from the eyes.
- Improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system and lowers blood pressure. To do this, a ring with a stone is placed on the index finger.
- It will cure respiratory diseases, relieve pneumonia, sore throat, asthma, bronchitis, and lung diseases. For this purpose, the stone is worn in the form of a pendant and beads around the neck.
- Heals injuries, wounds and fractures; the mineral is applied to sore spots.
- Improves digestion and gastrointestinal function.
- It will restore the normal functioning of the nervous system, cure neuroses, depression, calm the nerves, and help achieve spiritual harmony. To do this, touch a rosary with a crystal.
- It will increase the body's defenses, strengthen the immune system, improving the functioning of all organs and systems of the body.
Important! Cat's eye will help with recovery after surgery.
Origin
The cat's eye has been known to mankind since ancient times, which is confirmed by archaeological excavations, the description of which testified to the discovery of jewelry decorated with it. Because of the unusual color and similarity with the eyes of cats, which since ancient times were believed to have a connection with the other world, rulers, aristocrats, clergy, clairvoyants and magicians loved to wear such a talisman. The mineral was used to create various amulets against the evil eye and other artifacts. In those days, the cat's eye was very highly valued, it was not for nothing that it was usually called a stone for the elite.
The first mineral known to mankind that resembles a cat's eyes was yellow-green chrysoberyl, pierced with needles of another mineral, rutile. It was these needles that gave the glare effect, giving it a resemblance to the eye of an animal.
Later they found out that jade, some types of quartz and other minerals can have the same effect. Since then, not only yellowish-green, but also black, blue and red cat's eyes began to appear, since the desired effect could be achieved on many stones. The price of jewelry with them depends on the transparency of the mineral and the brightness of the resulting glare.
Who is suitable for cat eyes?
The magic of an iridescent mineral allows you to give the desired qualities to your character:
- It makes men brave, determined and persistent.
- Women become softer, more mysterious and charming, attracting the attention of the opposite sex.
- It allows teachers and people in creative professions to better express their thoughts, adding eloquence and enhancing their creativity.
- For those who strive for more income, a green and yellow talisman will attract the energy of money.
- Pendants and bracelets with stones will help single girls meet their love.
In addition, pendants relieve throat diseases if worn around the neck.
Interesting! You can stabilize relationships if you give the person with whom you are in a quarrel a cat's eye. Such an act will smooth out even a serious conflict and help preserve a marriage in a state of crisis.
Unusual optical effect
The effect when a vertical stripe appears on the mineral, differing in a lighter tone when exposed to rays of light, is called “cat’s eye”. Moreover, if you change the viewing angle, this strip visually seems to move across the surface, giving you the feeling that you are under the close attention of a cat's eyes.
The cat's eye mineral has a similar feature due to many tiny fibers arranged in parallel and creating a unique diffraction grating, which many of us are familiar with from a school physics course. The ability of human vision to capture only perpendicularly reflected rays creates an indescribable impression, as if a natural cat's eye follows the direction of your gaze.
Such an original feature can be inherent in many minerals. Cat's eye stone can be found among the following gemstones:
- sapphire;
- topaz;
- ruby;
- tourmaline.
Natural gemstones such as jade, moonstone, quartz, ulexite and jadeite can also produce a similar effect when cut appropriately.
However, initially, it was customary to call only the yellow-greenish variety of chrysoberyl cymophane, a stone that closely resembled the eyes of a cat, a cat's eye.
For many centuries, many healing and magical properties have been attributed to it. It is generally accepted that as a talisman it is perfect for purposeful people with a high degree of self-esteem, helping them achieve their goals.
How to distinguish from a fake
The high cost of the original stone often causes the appearance of fakes: usually they use painted glass or even plastic to imitate the yellow and gray-green color. It's easy to spot a fake:
- The high strength of natural cat's eye easily withstands the effects of metal and glass; only a hard mineral – diamond – can damage it.
- Hold the stone in your hand, the artificial base will quickly cool down, and the natural crystal will retain heat.
- At dusk or complete darkness, a naturally occurring mineral creates a faint glow, like the eye of a real cat. The shine can be enhanced by wiping the gem with a cloth.
- The holographic strip inside the natural stone is static and does not move if its position in space is changed.
Description
Cat's eye is not actually a stone, but an effect in the form of a luminous stripe in the center, which moves if you turn it. The effect is manifested when processing several minerals: aquamarine, quartz, moonstone, tourmaline and others. All stones that have it are called "cat's eye". In this case, the main color of the iridescence is gray.
Of these minerals, the hardest and most brilliant when processed is yellow-green chrysoberyl (or tsifoman). Therefore, when a description is given without specifying the mineral, chrysoberyl cat's eye is meant.
The color can be any other. So, quartz cat's eye is most often green, moonstone is white, aquamarine is blue or blue, and the tint is golden.
The stripe effect is produced by rutile needles. The transparency of the stone, as well as the brightness of the reflection, determine the price. To maximize the glare, the stones are cut into cabochons. Even more expensive stones are processed with a similar effect. But the standard and classic is cat's eye chrysoberyl.
Cat's eye opal is a rare gem. The deep yellow mineral is mined only in Tanzania. Its shades are white, pink, red, yellowish, and sometimes even black. Cat's eye alexandrite is sometimes found in Sri Lanka and has a greenish tint during the day and can have purple and reddish hues in the evening light. But it is very expensive, and in the local market, under its guise, a garnet with a similar color reverse is sold. But its real price is ten times less.
How to wear and care
Original jewelry with a cat's eye will delight you with its attractive appearance for a long time if you follow the basic rules for wearing it:
- There must be direct contact of the talisman with the skin, regardless of the type of frame.
- To establish a relationship, it is better to wear the stone alone, in the form of a pendant, bracelet or ring.
- You need to store your jewelry separately from other pieces of jewelry, in a separate box for it or wrapped in a soft cloth, to prevent scratches.
- Periodic cleansing will preserve the beneficial properties of the crystal. To do this, wash the jewelry with a weak soap solution, then with running water and wipe with a soft cloth.
