Tiger Iron Slab

Australian Tiger Iron – Polished Lapidary Slab

This beautiful Tiger Iron from Australia displays the rich, earthy banding that makes this material such a favorite among collectors and lapidary artists. Layers of rusty red jasper, metallic hematite and golden-brown tiger’s eye run across the slab in long parallel bands, preserving a remarkable geological story in stone.

Tiger Iron is a naturally occurring banded rock composed primarily of tiger’s eye, red jasper and hematite. Australian material is particularly prized for its dramatic layering and wonderful contrast. When polished, the iron-rich hematite can develop a metallic sheen while areas of tiger’s eye may reveal the silky, reflective effect known as chatoyancy.

This slab offers especially exciting possibilities for jewelry making. Individual sections can be cut into cabochons for pendants, rings, earrings, bracelets or statement pieces. A lapidary artist can orient each cabochon across the bands to showcase multiple colors, or cut lengthwise along a particular layer for an entirely different look. Because every section of the slab has its own arrangement of bands, multiple unique pieces of jewelry can be created from a single slab.

The warm reds, browns, golds and metallic tones pair beautifully with silver, copper or gold-toned settings, making Tiger Iron equally suited to rustic designs and more contemporary jewelry.

It is also a handsome natural-history specimen to display intact.