Pietersite
Pietersite is a remarkable and rare variety of Tiger Eye, first discovered in 1962. It is most commonly found in Namibia, South Africa, and in 1993 was found near Nanyang, Henan, China. In addition to the deep golden brown and yellow colorations, Chinese Pietersite has striking combinations of yellow, red, maroon, and blue coloration's that may appear alone or together. Reportedly, this variety of Pietersite was not exported to the West until 1997, when the Chinese became aware of its value. Pietersite blues may range from a baby blue to a dark midnight hue. Pietersite shows the same striking chatoyancy as Bronzite, with bright and subtly changing shimmers of color that move along the surface of the stone as it is viewed from varying angles. Miriam seeks out stones that show the very finest of this shimmering feature. She photographs the finished jewelry in very bright sunlight to show the full chatoyancy (shimmer and glow) of each stone.
