Chrysoberyl & Cat’s Eye Chrysoberyl (Cymophane)

Faceted transparent chrysoberyl typically exhibits bright, highly refractive yellow-to-green hues caused by trace iron. The species is best known, however, for its phenomenal variety, cymophane, or cat’s eye. When chrysoberyl crystallises with thousands of microscopic, parallel rutile tubes, lapidaries cut the stone as a cabochon (a smooth dome). Light striking the parallel tubes creates a sharp, concentrated band of light across the dome — an optical effect known as chatoyancy. True cat’s-eye chrysoberyl often displays a characteristic “milk and honey” effect, in which one side of the stone appears milky and the other golden brown when illuminated from across the stone.

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