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Cats Eye: Mysterious gem stone

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Chrysoberyl Cat's eye, a lively gemstone


Cat’s eye is the ninth gemstone in the Navaratna family. Cat’s eye is a precious stone according to Indian gemology. It represents Ketu, a Chhaya Graha (Shadow planet) in Indian system of astrology. Not all Cat’s eyes but only Chryso-beryl Cat’s eyes are considered as Cat’s eye in India.

A fine quality Cat’s eye possesses a mixture of black and white shade that has got an even, uniform, clear and transparent surface. It is blooming and covered with a white thin film resembling a winter cloud. It also clearly exhibits round silver lining at both edges like borders of scarf borne on the neck. This is how Vaidurya or Lahsuniya, Indian names for Cat’s eye, depicted in ancient Indian Sanskrit text.

A High quality Cat’s eye consists of golden yellow shade and white fiber. The gemstone is considered of higher value and greater beauty if brighter the fiber in its gleam, and straight as a line.

King of Kandy presented a big sized Cat’s eye of 313 carats to Queen Victoria when her army defeated him.

Main characteristics:

A silver Lining is visible in a perfect Cat’s eye in direct sun light or lamp. A fine Cat’s eye possesses yellowish or greenish tinge of the eye of cats. The Greek words chrysos and beryllos are origins of the word chrysoberyl That means "a gold-white spar". The chrysoberyl, is an aluminate of beryllium. Chemical formula of Chrysoberyl is BeAl2O4. Chrysoberyl is the third-hardest natural gemstone after Diamond (10) and Corundum (9).

Its hardness lies between corundum (9) and topaz (8).i.e. hardness of eight and half in Moh’s scale. It is smooth like glass. It becomes fine and brilliant when polished. The prized color is golden yellow and beige (Whipped honey). In addition, the silver lining is clear and distinct.

The gem looks as if it were really alive with the intensity of the line appears and disappears.

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Main characteristics of Cat's eye


A silver Lining is visible in a perfect Cat’s eye in direct sun light or lamp. A fine Cat’s eye possesses yellowish or greenish tinge of the eye of cats. The Greek words chrysos and beryllos are origins of the word chrysoberyl That means "a gold-white spar". The chrysoberyl, is an aluminate of beryllium. Chemical formula of Chrysoberyl is BeAl2O4. Chrysoberyl is the third-hardest natural gemstone after Diamond (10) and Corundum (9).

Its hardness lies between corundum (9) and topaz (8).i.e. hardness of eight and half in Moh’s scale. It is smooth like glass. It becomes fine and brilliant when polished. The prized color is golden yellow and beige (Whipped honey). In addition, the silver lining is clear and distinct.

The gem looks as if it were really alive with the intensity of the line appears and disappears.

Flaws in Cat's eye gemstone



A dark shaded Cat’s eye with watery complexion and reddish tinge in fiber, flattened, deformed and light weight (low specific gravity), is considered to be ominous. It is likely to bring ill luck.

The Sanskrit name for Cat’s eye is Vaidurya and Bidalaksh, (Bidal means cat and Aksh is eye) and it characterizes the actual meaning of the word. The gem stone virtually resembles eye of a cat. Hence, it is so called in western world too. It is called Lahsuniya (Lehsuniya) in Hindi language.

A Cat’s eye gemstone is termed as a “sheet” if fiber is not straight as a line but defused over the body. A Cat’s eye devoid of fiber is known as Karketak (chrysolite).

Oriental Cat’s eye is Chrysoberyl Cat’s eye. It was depicted as cymophane in Victorian age. However, this word is not in use now. It invariably possesses a white gleam and opalescence due to inclusions of fiber or a fibrous structure.

Flaws in Cat’s eye:

The following flaws can be occurred in a Cat’s eye gemstone.

1. Spot in crystal

2. Hole

3. Crack

4. Flimsy

5. Stain

6. Dullness

7. Pale in color.

When a Cat’s eye is dull, opaque and without luster it is called a bony stone. A bony stone is neither bright nor smooth.

Stains of following colors are also found in Cat’s eye:

1. White

2. Black

3. Red,

4. Honey brown.

Of course, flaws down grade a gemstone and Cat's eye is not an exception. Clean gemstones fetch much higher value than a stone with inclusions. More the inclusions less the price is the case for a Cat’s eye gemstone like all other gemstones.

Sri Lankan Gemstones

Varieties and origins of Cat's eye

Varieties of Cat’s eye (According to color):

Kanak Khet: This is the finest type of Cat’s eye. It has a bright golden hue. It looks exactly as eye of a cat.

(Kanak means gold in Sanskrit and Khet is origin)

Madhu Khet: It is a medium quality Cat’s eye with honey brown hue and white fibers.

(Madhu is for honey in Sanskrit)

Dhumra or Dhum Khet: It has smoky color with white fibers and considered as of low quality.

(Dhumra means smoke in Sanskrit language)

Krishna Khet: It is with blackish shade and white fiber. This is the lowest quality of Cat’s eye.

(Krishna means black).

Sources or Mines:

Mines of Mogok (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) have been producing Cat’s eye gemstones since time immemorial. Trivandrum and Orissa in India has also started producing the same since few decades.

Material from Mogok (Burma) is considered to be the best followed by Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Trivandrum and Orissa respectively. Rough stones of Cat’s eyes are traditionally cut and polished only into cabochons and beads and not in faceted forms.

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Comments

JYOTI KOTHARI 3 months ago

Pl send photograph and your contact number/ email.

rathore 3 months ago

i am having one 42 cts yellow catseye,pls give me an idia of price for that.

ASHUTOSH 4 months ago

I have some rough of cat,s eye . Help me me for grading of quality and processing to the finish product, i have some alexandrite also,mail me your contact no.at my mail address ashutoosh33@gmail.com . My no.is 9818722999. I m coming JAIPUR for the same.

JYOTI KOTHARI 4 months ago

It is difficult to get a Madhu Khet cat's eye in good quality in such big size. If available, it would be expensive.

Sanjay 4 months ago

I need 15 carat Madhu Khet.....can any one please let me know the price for the same...its urgent...

gemvenkat 4 months ago

Dear Sir,

i have 397 carats of cats eye oval shaped with honey color of Indian origin

can you please kindly inform me the price through my mail gemvenkat@gmail.com, Bengaluru

joe 6 months ago

this is joe and i am a business man which is cats eyes import and export but your description of cats eye is a very very good and it is used to know more about that things thank you

SHANKER BHAVANIS 8 months ago

thanks for your article i came to know there is some krishana samathakamni of catts eye in 540 cts what will be its value is it worth kindly repley to me vi49nny@yahoo.com

rajib biswas 9 months ago

i like to purchase one kanakhet cats eye from where i can get the best one at kolkata

Mujaheed 12 months ago

hi..i'm from the Philippines..i have Cat's Eye stone...pls help me identify if how much is the value of my stone...pls email me Mujaheed76@yahoo.com and i will send you a pic..

Raghu Kumar 12 months ago

Hi,

Can you let me know what's the ideal size of cats eye store one should go for to have good results and what's the process, date and time for wearing the same?

aga 13 months ago

i have little black cat eyes,

aga.nugraha2203@gmail.com

saikat chakraborty 20 months ago

Hi Mr. Kothari, one of my client having a Kanakkhet cats eye of 93 karat. He wants to sell the same. Can you please give me an idea of that.

Saikat

saikat_0314@yahoo.co.in

Ram Krishna Mishra 20 months ago

Dear Jyoti,

I am sorry to say that i have missed your mobile no. I have contacted you and in response u have also called me but unfortunately . my contact no is 9312076700 and email is rkm_hrd@yahoo.co.in . Plz give me a missed call so that i can contact you .

s k n prasad 23 months ago

Dear Mishra Ji

I am having one alex catseye of 17.85cts with my friend and he would like to sell it.Hope you can help.

Regards,

prasad

s k n prasad 23 months ago

data is good

Ram Krishna Mishra 23 months ago

my contact no is 9312076700 . My email id is rkm_hrd@yahoo.co.in

JYOTI KOTHARI 23 months ago

Hi Ram Krishna,

You have left no link to contact. Please mail me using option in the top right.

You can also post a link of your mail address or phone number in the comment section so that I can contact you.

Superfine gemstones are always very expensive.

Thanks for your comment and query.

Jyoti Kothari

Ram Krishna 23 months ago

Hi Jyoti,

I want a superfine quality of kanak khet lahsuniya os 5 to 6 carets . please give me an idea of price for that .

JYOTI KOTHARI 2 years ago

Hi Madame X,

I hope you can manage a digital camera.

Thanks,

Jyoti Kothari

Madame X 2 years ago

Thanks Jyoti - I think I can manage a picture. I myself don't have a digital camera but I'm sure a friend does. Thanks for the offer, I'll send it over as soon as I can :)

JYOTI KOTHARI 2 years ago

Madame X,

Stones you have may be Cat's Eyes. You can send me a picture of those stones so that I can try to identify or you can simply get it tested in Gem lab.

Thanks for your comment.

Jyoti Kothari

Madame X 2 years ago

What a wonderful hub! I have a pair of stones that look like a cat's eye but are blue. The line is straight and they are clear and lovely. Do you know what they are? No one seems to be able to tell me. I don't think they are cat's eye but they have all the characteristics of cat's eye except they're blue. Please help if you can. Thanks :)

JYOTI KOTHARI 2 years ago

Hi Rak Krishna,

Thanks for your comment.

Please specify size. Price is dependent upon size of a Cat's eye.

You can feel free to mail me for any relevant information.

Regards,

Jyoti Kothari

Rak krishna 2 years ago

Hi Jyoti,

I want a cats eye of kanakkhet . can u give an idea about approximate rate of superfine qualitry.

Regards

JYOTI KOTHARI 2 years ago

Hi Kishor,

It is not fair to suggest some in comment section. Please mail me via hubpages and I will reply.

Thanks,

Jyoti Kothari

Kishor 2 years ago

Hi,

Where could I buy Cat's eye in Hyderabad? May you suggest some names of dealers>

?

Thanks

Kishore

JYOTI KOTHARI 2 years ago

Hi Manish,

Yes. Cat's eye is Lahasuniya in Indian language.

Thanks for comment and question.

Jyoti Kothari

manish khandelwal 2 years ago

cats eye sub name is lahasuniya . am i right.

JYOTI KOTHARI 2 years ago

Thanks Anjali for your comment and compliment on my hub about Cat's eye.

Jyoti Kothari

Anjali Kapadia 2 years ago

Hi,

I am in fashion trade. cat's eye has a mysterious look and really resembles eye of a Cat.

The stone suits to fashion designing and I love to use cat's eye in my designing.

Excellent post.

Thanks,

Anjali

JYOTI KOTHARI 2 years ago

Hi Dame scribe,

Thanks for your comment.

Jyoti Kothari

Dame Scribe 2 years ago

It is a great gift too. My sons love their rings. Great information. :)

JYOTI KOTHARI 2 years ago

Hi Namita,

Thanks for your comment and compliment on my hub about cat's eye mysterious gemstone.

Jyoti Kothari

Namita 2 years ago

hi Jyoti,

Very good description about Cat's eye especially according to Indian gemology.

Description of mysterious stone Cat's eye as per Indian gemology is rarely found in internet.

Thanks for very informative article about cat's eye.

Rated up!

Namita

Ashok Saha 2 years ago

Jyoti,

This particular article describes Cat's eye in right way. It is very well researched.

It covers all aspects of cat's eye gemstone.

Ketu is an important planet and Cat's eye is an essential gemstone in Navratna for Ketu.

I love to have a kanak Khet Cat's eye from Mogok.

Thanks,

Ashok

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