Pietersite is a trade name for a swirling, shattered-looking quartz rock with a silky flash, sold as brecciated tiger's eye or hawk's eye. Some sources say it is its own chalcedony. The colors are natural.
Quartz (chalcedony) with fibrous amphibole
Pietersite
Pietersita
- Palette
- Brown Blue Multicolor
- Mined in
- Namibia, China
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.5–7.0 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- 1962
- Named for
- Sid Pieters, the Namibian dealer who found it
- Also sold as
- tempest stone, storm stone
- Intention
- Protection
- Looking for
- Protection Clearing negativity
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Pietersite is a trade name for a swirled, chatoyant stone and the beads vary by lot. Some strands are enhanced; ask the seller.
Not in our pieces now
CROCIDOLITE
Pietersite's shimmer comes from crocidolite, the same fibrous blue mineral that gives tiger's-eye its glow.
MOHS 7
Pietersite is chalcedony, a fine-grained quartz, so it ranks 7 on the Mohs scale despite its swirled, broken-up look.
What it is
A swirling, shattered-looking stone in gold, brown, red and blue-gray, with a silky flash that moves as you turn it. Pietersite is a trade name; sellers often call it brecciated tiger's eye or hawk's eye, while Wikipedia says it is a separate chalcedony that shares the same fiber source. Either way, it is natural quartz and not a dyed or glass look-alike.
What gives it its color
Pietersite is a jumble of broken, silky fibers of a blue amphibole (crocidolite) set in quartz; the blue-gray comes from the fibers themselves and the golden-yellow to brownish red from iron minerals (goethite, hematite) and chlorite coating them, with the Chinese material more red and the Namibian more blue-gray and gold.
Where it comes from
Gem pietersite comes only from two places: the Outjo area of Namibia, found by Sid Pieters in 1962, and Xichuan in Henan Province, China, found in 1966; by 2010 both mining areas appeared closed.
In history
Pietersite was first described in Namibia in 1962, and a Chinese source was found at Xichuan in Henan Province in 1966. Despite its look, it is chalcedony and not a broken-up tiger's-eye.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, it is the stone people slip in a pocket before a tense meeting or a crowded room. It is thought of as a cloak against difficult people.
Namibia gave us the first pieces in the 1960s, and China followed. The storm-like swirl earned it the nickname tempest stone.
It wears well on the wrist, but fragment edges can chip. Mind the knocks.
How people wear or keep it: In a pocket, on the wrist, or at a meeting or crowded room.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, pietersite is paired with the solar plexus and third eye chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: in a pocket, on the wrist, at a meeting or crowded room. People reach for it when they want protection, clearing negativity, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraSolar Plexus, Third Eye
ZodiacLeo, Sagittarius
ElementAir
Also calledtempest stone, storm stone
Care
- Hard enough for daily wear (Mohs 6.5 to 7), but the broken, cemented fragments can chip if struck on an edge.
- Clean with warm soapy water and a soft cloth.
- Avoid steam, and use ultrasonic cleaners only with care.
- Bezel-style settings protect the edges better than prongs.
- Keep away from heat and hard knocks.
How to tell what you have
- What a bead sold as pietersite may be: shattered, re-cemented chalcedony or quartz with silky blue amphibole fibers from Namibia or China, or fiber-rich tiger's-eye breccia. Sources disagree and it varies by lot.
- Look for gold, brown and blue swirls that move as you turn the bead. Dye can pool in cracks and at the drill hole, and a perfectly uniform, vivid color is a warning sign.
What sets the price
The price follows how vivid the color is and how clear the shimmering chatoyancy is as you turn the bead, plus size and polish; the stone comes from only two countries, and the beads vary by lot.
Rules and sourcing
Pietersite is chalcedony with fibers of crocidolite, an asbestos mineral under US law. Finished beads are sold as jewelry, but do not grind, sand, drill or cut them without dust protection.
Questions people ask at our table
What is pietersite?
Pietersite is a trade name for a shimmering, broken-looking quartz rock colored by fibrous crocidolite. Namibia and China are the only commercial sources.
Is it the same as tiger's eye?
Close, but not identical. Both get their silky flash from crocidolite fibers. Many sellers call pietersite brecciated tiger's eye or hawk's eye, while Wikipedia says it is not a brecciated form of either.
Is it natural or dyed?
The colors are natural. The sources we read do not mention dye on pietersite, though tiger's eye in general is heated to deepen reds, so ask the seller about any particular strand.
Why is it called the tempest stone?
The chaotic swirls and the moving flash look like a storm, and the trade name stuck.
Where is it from?
It was first described in Namibia in 1962. China produces a cooler, bluer version from Henan Province.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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