Natural History

Marra Mamba Tiger's Eye Sphere

Lot Closed

December 3, 07:37 PM GMT

Estimate

12,000 - 15,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Marra Mamba Tiger's Eye Sphere

Approximately 2.5 billion years ago

Mt. Brockman Station, Western Australia

9 inches (22.6 cm). 77 pounds (35 kg).

A band of golden Tiger's eye streaks across the surface, bordered by hematite and other ferrous oxides in shades of rich earth-orange. Highlights include red jasper, yellow & brown goethite, yellow goethite, and deep olive & bottle green riebeckite. It has been has been polished to reveal details of its natural character.

Tiger’s Eye is a rare type of chatoyant (meaning “cat’s eye”) gemstone, characterized by remarkable colors and patterns arising from the unique optical reflectance of its fibrous structure. Formed from sediments laid down at the bottom of a shallow sea over two and a half billion years ago, Tiger's Eye is found exclusively in a remote region of Western Australia, making it one of nature's finest and rarest examples of abstract artwork.