Antique 19th Century Genuine Natural Two Carat (Plus) Hand Crafted/Polished Indian Tiger's Eye Semi-Precious Gemstone Oval. Contemporary High Quality Sterling Silver Ring (Size 7 - Resizing Available).

CLASSIFICATION: Indian Tiger's Eye Polished Cabochon.

ORIGIN: 19th century India.

SIZE: Length: 10mm. Width: 8mm. Depth (Thickness): 2 1/2mm. Measurements approximate.

WEIGHT: 2.11 carats.

NOTES: Resizing is available. 14kt solid gold setting is also available .

DETAIL: Healing stone of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, Roman Legionary Soldiers carried tiger's eye believing that it gave them an advantage over their opponents in combat. Here's a nice quality 19th century antique hand crafted/shaped/polished "Tiger's Eye" semi-precious gemstone from India. This is an exceptionally nice, high quality specimen, with nicely defined and quite sharp "chatoyancy" (eye). Though the feline "eye" is difficult to capture here with a camera (the gemstone simply does not respond well to a flash), it is very well defined in hand. This particular specimen is of very nice quality, very beautiful. The setting is of contemporary origin. It is a high quality setting manufactured by one of the USA's leading semi-custom mount producers. It is constructed of sterling silver. We do have the ability to have the ring sent out for resizing if requested. Additionally, if preferred, the mounting is also available in 14kt solid gold.

Under magnification the gemstone shows the unmistakable characteristics of having been hand crafted. The coarseness of the 19th century finish is considered appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered a detriment, or detract from the value of a gemstone. But these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, most serious collectors consider such gemstones more desirable, possessed of greater character and uniqueness when compared to today's cookie-cutter mass-produced machine-tumbled gemstones. Unlike today's computer controlled machine produced gemstones, the cut and finish of a gemstone such as this is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago.

This gemstone has great luster, but it is not absolutely flawless. True, the blemishes it possesses are virtually invisible to the naked eye, and the gemstone can be characterized, to use trade jargon, as "eye clean". To the view of the casual admirer the gemstone is seemingly without blemish. However in these photo enlargements you can pick out a few slight blemishes. Of course the same may said about almost any natural gemstone. An absolutely flawless gemstone simply is not the rule in nature. Most absolutely flawless gemstones will upon close examination be revealed to be synthetic. You might also notice under magnification occasional irregularities in the cut and finish. Of course absolutely unblemished, perfect gemstones are the realm of laboratory-produced synthetics, not Mother Nature. Furthermore these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, you must also consider that two centuries ago the mining techniques even possible then, let alone in practice, did not allow the ultra deep mining operations which are so commonplace today.

Keep in mind two centuries ago mankind was more or less limited to surface deposits or near surface deposits of gemstones. Higher quality gemstones which today are routinely mined from beneath hundreds of meters, even kilometers beneath the earth's surface, were simply inaccessible then. For these reasons antique gemstones must be appreciated as antiques first, gemstones second. The relatively superlative quality of contemporary gemstones routinely mined from deep beneath the earth's surface today were simply not accessible two centuries ago, or at least, only rarely so. However for most, the unique nature and character of antique gemstones such as this more than makes up for miniscule blemishes and cutting imperfections which by and large, are only visible under high magnification.

HISTORY: 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.

Tiger's eye was also quite popular in the ancient Middle East. The Assyrians (neighbors to the Babylonians) carved the tiger's eye into cylinders which were covered with depictions of mythic creatures and names of gods. These cylinders were then worn about the neck as charms for protection. Roman soldiers carried tiger's eye believing that it gave them an advantage over their opponents in combat. Tigerseye is a form of quartz which contains brown iron which produces its golden-yellow color. Quartz, known to many as "rock crystal", attracted the attention of many ancient cultures with it's brilliant transparency and gorgeous tones. The water-clear variety of quartz, rock crystal, was known to the ancient Greeks as "krystallos", from which the name "crystal" is derived. The name "quartz" is derived from the ancient Slavic word for hard, "kwardy".

There are many varieties of quartz which are not generally recognized as quartz. Purple quartz is known as amethyst; yellow quartz as "citrine", green quartz as "adventurine"; and ametrine is a variegated gemstone possessing a color somewhere between amethyst and citrine. More readily recognized varieties of quartz include smoky quartz, rose quartz, onyx, agates, chrysoprase, and rutilated quartz. Rock crystal is the clearest form of quartz. According to ancient history, the sun and universe were contained within an enormous crystal. Rock crystal was used in ancient times to make crystal balls and bowls. Since ancient times colorless quartz crystals have always been popular in jewelry due to mystical legends concerning the "power" of quartz crystals. Even today many people believe that wearing quartz crystals benefits a person's health and spiritual well being. Besides use as gemstones and decorative accoutrements, quartz was also ground by ancient cultures to produce primitive forms of glass and ceramics. For instance, the ancient Egyptians used ground quartz to produce turquoise colored "faience" beads and amulets. Ceramic "glass-like" beads were also produced by the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian cultures.

SHIPPING OPTIONS: All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price. Most of these antique gemstones were originally part of two collections, one originating in India principally composed of gemstones originally mined in India, Burma, Ceylon, and Siam, and then hand faceted in India. The addition of a second accumulation of antique gemstones originally mined in the Urals in the mid to late 19th century (including alexandrite) completed the collection. These gemstones as well were hand finished. The Urals have been one of the world's major sources of precious and semi-precious gemstones for many centuries. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers in Eastern Europe and Asia. These antique gemstones are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery.

We ship inventory from the USA order fulfillment center near Seattle, Washington. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipping within 48 hours of payment. A certificate of authenticity is available upon request. We prefer your personal check or money order over any other form of payment - and we will ship immediately upon receipt of your check (no "holds"). We will accept PayPal payments. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE".