Chrysoberyl Gem Stone
Chrysoberyl is another interesting family of stones that has three prominent varieties – alexandrite, cat’s-eye and the regular chrysoberyl. What’s interesting is that these three belong to the same gem family, which means that they have the same chemical composition, but their optical properties are far from similar; actually, people who have seen the three stones would hardly believe they belong to the same family.
The cat’s-eye variety is believed to protect the wearer from the evil eye. The cat’s-eye is believed to see all (‘the ever-watchful eye that sees through stone and flesh’) and watch out for its wearer. This stone is very hard, and translucent (giving it the look of an eye) with a hue that ranges from honey yellow or honey brown to an emerald green. The texture is velvety from outside and there is a line of light right through the centre of the stone. We also have a common quartz variety, which occurs in yellow-brown or bluish hues, and a genuine cat’s-eye may sometimes be mistaken for this stone.
The quartz variety has the translucent look and the eye (line of light) within, but these are not as striking as in case of a genuine cat’s-eye. But even for genuine cat’s-eyes, the effect can be produced only if the stone is cut in the cabochon style – this brings out the eye effect very beautifully. The closer the line of light is to the centre of the stone, the greater the value of the stone. When rotated, a genuine cat’s-eye exhibits a shift of the line from side to side.
Now let’s talk about the chrysoberyl variety. This stone is quite different from the previous one; it’s a lot more brilliant, more durable, transparent and very clear. It’s naturally available in yellow, yellow-green and green shades. This stone is just becoming popular for the simple reason that it gives excellent beauty and durability for an affordable price. The finest cat’s-eyes come from Brazil, China and Sri-Lanka, while the best sources of chrysoberyls are Russia and Sri-Lanka.
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