Loading... Please wait...
  • Image 1

Click on main image to zoom

Banded Iron Tiger Eye Nesting Collar

$198.00 $98.00
(You save $100.00)

Product Description

If you like rare stones and minerals, you'll love this unusual collar of nesting banded iron tiger eye discs, one of the oldest natural formations. I found these many years ago and was mesmerized by their beauty.  18"

Here's the long story of this rare amazing mineral if you're interested:

Banded Iron Formation, also known as BIF, is a term that is applied to a very unique sedimentary rock of biochemical origin. These rocks are unique in their make up, unique in their age and unique in their origins.  They are found all over the world, but only in certain areas of all the major continents.  

BIF consists of alternating layers of iron oxides and shale, chert, tiger eye or jasper. The black to gray to silver colored iron oxide layers contrast with the iron rich chert, jasper and shales which are generally red in color.

BIF is very old.  Some of the oldest sedimentary rocks known to scientists have banded iron formations. They date to as old as 3 billion years old, but most are aged at around 2.5 billion and some are as "young" as 1.8 billion.  A very young formation of BIF is known to be only 800 to 600 million years old, but this is an exception to the rule.  It is believed that banded iron formations occurred at these times in Earth's history due to unique conditions and then never again were the conditions right for the formation of this most unusual rock.  

Since the origin of the iron layer is derived from a living organism, BIF is actually a fossil. Fossils do not need to be the direct evidence of an organism such as a dinosaur bone or a trilobite.  BIF actually qualifies as a trace fossil.  Some of the oldest fossils known to man just predate banded iron formations.  Bacteria are believed to be the earliest life forms on Earth and eventually the oxygen producing varieties formed the BIF and helped transform the Earth. The conditions to form BIF, dissolved iron and episodic oxygenation, existed early in Earth's history and then once the Earth's oxygen levels stabilized the conditions for banded iron formation all but ceased to exist.

When polished, BIF is very beautiful.  The red jasper or Tiger Eye makes a wonderful compliment to the sparkling silver gray of the hematite.  The banded layers, sometimes contorted by ages of folding and faulting, make for surreal landscapes of asymmetric bands.

 

 

Product Reviews

This product hasn't received any reviews yet. Be the first to review this product!

Write Review
Quantity:
Shipping:
Calculated at checkout


 

Sign up for news and special promotions

Secure Online Payments

ize:"thumbnail" // ===== Scroll to Top ====