2011
A dark shaded Cats 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 Cats 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 Cats eye gemstone is termed as a sheet if fiber is not straight as a line but defused over the body. A Cats eye devoid of fiber is known as Karketak (chrysolite). Oriental Cats eye is Chrysoberyl Cats 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 Cats eye: The following flaws can be occurred in a Cats eye gemstone. 1. Spot in crystal 2. Hole 3. Crack 4. Flimsy 5. Stain 6. Dullness 7. Pale in color. When a Cats 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 Cats 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 Cats eye gemstone like all othergemstones.
Krishna Khet: It is with blackish shade and white fiber. This is the lowest quality of Cats eye. (Krishna means black). Sources or Mines: Mines of Mogok (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) have been producing Cats 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 Cats eyes are traditionally cut and polished only into cabochons and beads and not in faceted forms.