Tiger Eye (Chashm-e-Babri) Prices in Pakistan: What Makes One Worth More

Tiger eye is one of the cheapest natural stones you can buy in Pakistan, and one of the easiest to find. Walk through any gem bazaar, from Karachi's Saddar to Peshawar, and you will see trays of golden-brown cabochons sold as chashm-e-babri at what look like almost identical prices. Look a little closer and they are not alike at all.

A good tiger eye has a sharp, bright band of light that rolls across the stone as you turn it. A plain one has a dull, patchy shimmer. Here we explain what separates the two, how colour, polish, cut and size affect the price, and how to compare quotes per carat and per ratti. Our tiger eye collection shows each stone with its own photo and weight.

Tiger eye prices from our listings

This table is generated from the tiger eye we currently have listed and is refreshed every month. It gives the lowest, typical and highest price per stone, with the same figures per carat and per ratti.

Because tiger eye is inexpensive, the gap between a plain stone and a fine one can look small in rupees. To the eye, it is large. The points below explain where a stone sits in that range. For other stones, see the monthly gemstone price guide.

The band of light comes first

The moving band on tiger eye is called chatoyancy, the same effect you see in cat's eye. It comes from fine parallel fibres inside the stone, originally a fibrous mineral that has since been replaced by quartz. How well that band shows is the main thing you are paying for.

• Sharpness. A crisp, narrow band is worth more than a wide, blurry glow.
• Brightness. Under ordinary room light, the band should be clearly lighter than the rest of the stone.
• Movement. In a fine stone the band glides smoothly from side to side as you tilt it. In a poor one it flickers or jumps between patches.
• Continuity. Breaks, dull zones, or areas where the fibres change direction all lower the price.

Still photos often hide this. Ask for a short video of the stone turning under a single light; it tells you more than any description.

Colour and pattern

Classic tiger eye is golden yellow to honey brown, with darker brown bands. Even, rich gold with bright chatoyancy sits at the top of the range. Pale, greyish or muddy stones are more common and cheaper.

Red, blue and mixed stones

• Red tiger eye, sometimes called ox eye, is usually golden tiger eye that has been heated until it turns red. Heating is stable and accepted, but it should be disclosed, and it does not make the stone any rarer.
• Blue tiger eye, also sold as hawk's eye, is the same material before its fibres fully altered, so it keeps a blue-grey colour. Good hawk's eye is less common than golden and can cost a little more.
• Mixed stones showing gold and blue together are priced on how attractive the pattern is.

Dyed tiger eye is around too, often in bright red, green or pink. These colours do not occur naturally, and such stones should be sold as dyed at a lower price. Our planned guide to real and fake tiger eye covers dye and glass copies.

Polish and finish

Tiger eye is about 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, so it takes a good polish. A high, mirror-like polish brings the band to life; a dull or wavy surface hides it. Because the stone is cheap, some batches are cut and polished in a hurry, leaving faint scratches, flat spots, or undercutting where softer zones polish lower than harder ones.

Check the surface in reflected light: the reflection of a window or lamp should look straight and sharp across the whole dome. A stone with an excellent finish is worth a little extra, because no amount of wearing will fix a poor polish.

Cut and orientation

Tiger eye is cut as a cabochon, and the cutter has to line the fibres up so the band runs neatly across the centre. If the fibres sit at an angle, the band ends up off-centre or splits in two. That is a cutting fault, and it lowers the value.

• A medium-to-high dome gives a narrower, sharper band.
• A flat cabochon gives a broad, soft shimmer and is usually priced lower.
• Ovals are the standard ring shape; rounds and cushions are common too.
• A smooth, polished base helps the stone sit level in a setting.

Tiger eye is also shaped into beads for tasbih and bracelets. These are priced by the strand, and the same rules of band, colour and polish apply to every bead. See our tasbih page for choosing prayer beads.

Size

Tiger eye turns up in big pieces, so size does not push the per-ratti price up very steeply. What gets rare in larger stones is consistency: even colour and a sharp, central band across a big dome. A large stone that keeps both is worth more per ratti; a large stone with patchy colour is not. Compare our 11.00 carat chashm-e-babri with the 28.65 carat chashm-e-babri to see how size changes the look.

Tiger eye and iron tiger eye are priced differently

Iron tiger eye, or tiger iron, is a banded rock that mixes tiger eye with red jasper and grey hematite. It looks quite different and is priced on its pattern, not on a moving band. When comparing quotes, make sure both sellers are talking about the same stone. Our iron tiger eye collection and the planned iron tiger eye price guide cover that one.

Per carat or per ratti: reading a quote

In Pakistani markets tiger eye is often quoted per ratti, though cheaper stones are also sold per piece. The standard gemstone ratti is 0.91 carat (about 0.182 grams). The sunar's ratti is smaller, about 0.1215 grams or roughly 0.61 carat. An 11 carat stone is about 12 standard ratti but about 18 sunari ratti, so always confirm which one the seller is using. Our carat to ratti converter makes the sum easy.

Tiger eye is fairly dense for a quartz-based stone, so a ring-sized cabochon can weigh more than you expect. Compare weight and measurements together.

Natural colour or treated colour

Golden tiger eye with an even, warm colour is untreated in most cases, and that is the stone most buyers are after. Heating to make red and dyeing to make bright colours are both done to cheaper material. Neither is a problem if disclosed, but treated stones belong at the lower end of the range. We state known treatments on every listing.

Comparing two tiger eye quotes

1. Ask for a video of the actual stone turning under a single light.
2. Confirm whether the colour is natural, heated or dyed.
3. Get the weight in carats and agree which ratti is meant.
4. Check the polish in reflected light for scratches and flat spots.
5. Make sure both sellers mean tiger eye, not iron tiger eye.
6. Price the stone separately from any ring.
7. Find out what happens if the stone does not match the photos.

Budget levels, by filter

Most tiger eye sits in the lower budget bands, which makes it a good first stone or gift.

• under 5,000 rupees: where you will find much good tiger eye, including well-cut ring stones.
• 5,000 to 20,000 rupees: bigger stones, and those with an exceptional band and polish.
• 20,000 to 50,000 rupees and over 50,000 rupees: rarely needed for tiger eye; these bands are for other stones.

For other affordable stones, read natural gemstones under 5,000 rupees.

Wearing tiger eye

Tiger eye is a practical everyday stone. It is tough, needs no special cleaning and suits silver nicely, which keeps the cost of a finished ring modest. Many people wear it for its traditional link with confidence and protection, described as belief on our confidence and success page and in tiger eye in tradition.

Pricing traps

Tiger eye is cheap to produce, so the usual problems are about how it is described, not how rare it is.

• "Rare red" or "rare blue". Red is usually heated golden stone, and while good blue hawk's eye is less common, neither should be priced like a rare gem.
• Bright pink, green or purple stones. These are dyed and should be clearly labelled.
• Glass "cat's eye" beads. Fibre-optic glass shows a very sharp, almost too-perfect band in bright, unnatural colours. It is a different, much cheaper product.
• Confusion with lehsunia. Chrysoberyl cat's eye, sold as lehsunia, is far rarer and costlier. Tiger eye should never be sold at lehsunia prices; see lehsunia grading for the difference.

If a quote seems high, ask the seller what makes that stone special. A good answer points to the band, colour and polish you can see in a video. Our planned tiger eye buying guide covers choosing a stone in more detail.

Buying tiger eye from Authentic Gems

Each tiger eye we list is photographed and priced on its own. We confirm orders on WhatsApp and dispatch within one working day by insured, tracked courier. Karachi orders usually arrive in 1 to 2 working days; Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and the other major cities in 2 to 4; smaller towns in up to about 7. Pay Cash on Delivery after opening the parcel and checking the stone in front of the rider, and return unused stones within seven days. For a turning video of any stone, message us through our contact page.

Shop the stones: tiger eye.

The beliefs described here are traditions, shared for interest. They are not guaranteed outcomes, religious rulings or medical advice.