Serial Number: RB 0407
Status: Display
Description:
Cat Eye Arabic Prayer Beads
This cat eye Arabic prayer beads is composed of 33 beads in round shape. The bead size measures 11 x 11 mm, 39 cm in length, and weighs 61.6 grams. The Shaheed are made up to two cat eye stones encased in silver while the Karkousha is tassel.
Among the gemstones that display special optical phenomena, cat s eye gems are particularly interesting, in part because the effect is found in so many different gem varieties. The technical term for the cat s eye effect is chatoyancy, derived from the French for eye of the cat ( oeil de chat ).
The most famous and valuable cat s eye gemstone is chrysoberyl cat s eye. In fact when the term cat s eye is used alone in the gem trade, it always refers to chrysoberyl cat s eye. All other types of cat s eye gems require an additional varietal designation, such as cat s eye apatite.
Among the softer gemstones, the cat s eye effect is often found in the gemstone apatite, in a golden color somewhat reminiscent of chrysoberyl. It can also be found in colorless, pink, yellow, green, blue and violet. But with a hardness of only 5 on the Mohs scale, cat s eye apatite is most suitable for pendants, brooches and earrings.
