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Assessing the Quality of a Cat’s-Eye Gem

The best cat’s-eye gems have an eye that meets the following criteria:

 it is clearly visible
 it symmetrically bisects the cabochon
 it contrasts sharply with the stone’s bodycolor
 it moves smoothly as the stone is turned

If a stone features all of the above criteria and has an exceptional bodycolor, then you have a fantastic cat’s-eye gem. The importance of a desirable bodycolor cannot be overstated.

Cat's Eye Bi-color Tourmaline at auction | LOT-ART
Cat’s-Eye Tourmaline: Tourmaline often contains a silk of coarse tubes that can produce a very strong cat’s-eye. In these stones you can see how the silk crosses the stone at right angles to the cat’s-eye. A skilled cutter must assess the stone before cutting so that this orientation can be achieved. These colorful cabochons were cut from material mined in Brazil. The pink stone is an 8.5 millimeter round, and the green stone is a 10 x 7 millimeter oval.

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