1.2" Tiger Iron "Stromatolite" Oval Cabochon

This is a gorgeous 1.2" tall, oval cabochon that was crafted from 3.02 billion year old tiger iron collected from the Ord Ranges in Western Australia. Tiger iron is a banded structure of Tiger's Eye, Red Jasper and Hematite. One theory is that tiger iron is a typical stromatolite that has undergone mineral replacement with iron oxide. Another is that the microbes formed the banded iron directly while the stromatolite was being formed. Yet another is that it was formed indirectly by stromatolites when the oxygen they produced mixed with iron produced by submarine volcanoes precipitating bands of iron oxide. Either way this tiger iron is gorgeous to look at and even more impressive when you consider that it is evidence of life on earth several billion years ago.