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Tiger's Eye has been enormously popular in various Asian cultures for thousands of years. Cabochon cut stones of this variety show the chatoyancy (small ray of light on the surface) that resembles the feline eye of a tiger. The ancient source for Tiger's eye was India, where it was a very important trade good, and was traded throughout the ancient Orient and into the Mediterranean. It was used as a very important healing stone by both the ancient Egyptians as well as the Greeks. Many ancient Egyptian statues of their various gods have been found with eyes made from tiger's eye. According to ancient legends, tiger's eye enabled the wearer to be "all seeing" - even to the point of being able to see through walls so one could observe what was happening in another room. It was not only worn to enable "clear vision" and good fortune, but also to drive off phantoms and shades of the dead. It was often carried by nighttime travelers for these purposes, as well as to help them see in the dark.
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