Chrysoberyl & Cat’s Eye:

Hardness: 8.5 Mohs

Quality Information:

Transparent gem found in a range of green to yellow and golden-yellow to yellowish-green, along with various shades of brown and red.

Care: Rated “good” for everyday wear. To clean, gently scrub with a soft toothbrush and a solution of mild dish soap and warm water or clean in an at-home ultrasonic unit.

Major Sources: Brazil, Burma, Sri Lanka, India, Tanzania, Madagascar, Pakistan, Russia, Zimbabwe and the United States.

Chrysoberyl is a species which also includes the famous and rare Alexandrite and also Cat’s Eye chrysoberyl. These two are the ‘phenomenal’ types of stone that are part of the chrysoberyl family. The name Chrysoberyl is from the Ancient Greek ‘chryso’ and ‘beryl’ which mean golden and green. Since these times, the stone has been regarded as a protection stone and associated with money and wealth.

The most famous chrysoberyl, ‘The Hope’ is based in London and is a 45ct faceted gem.

Cat’s Eye exhibits a rare trait known as chatoyancy, this means that the stone reflects light in such a way that it appears as a fibrous line across the curve of the stone which resembles a cat’s eye. Other stones also have cat’s eye varieties, however, cat’s eye chrysoberyl is known as the best version as the line is generally always the sharpest and most obvious under different light sources.