CAT’S EYE EMERALD Cat’s eye effect is a distinctive optical phenomenon in which a band of reflected light occurs on the surface of a cabochon-cut gemstone. Fascinating yet mystical, the ray of light, known as the “cat’s-eye”, moves across the gemstone and it moves when the position of the light is moved. This phenomenon arises in gemstones that contain a large number of very thin parallel inclusions. Cat’s eyes are always cut into cabochons. The silk inclusion must be parallel to the bottom of the stone, so that the eye will be clearly visible when the light shines on the stone. However, many of the roughs are either irregular or unsymmetrical, only very few chatoyant stones can be fashioned into jewellery. Of all the gemstones that exhibit cat’s eye effect, cat’s-eye emerald is utterly rare. Its unique chatoyancy is smooth and soft comparing with that of other gemstones with a touch of translucency, stealing the hearts of many jewellery collectors. The chatoyant effect is not visible in the unpolished rough. As there are more inclusions unevenly distributed in emeralds, and the brittleness of the stones makes them vulnerable to damage during cutting, it is exceedingly difficult to unveil a perfect cat’s-eye emerald. Only less than 10 percent of the mined emeralds are with chatoyant effect. The discovery of a beautiful gemquality cat’s-eye emerald is one in a million, as it is dependable on the unique characteristics of the mine, not to mention the proficiency of the emerald cutter and the luck. In Emerald and the Other Beryls, noted gemologist John Sinkankas wrote that “cat’s-eye emeralds are so rare as to be practically nonexistent in the market”. For decades, they are seldom seen at auction. To be offered this season is a 7.11-carat natural cat’s-eye emerald with soft and distinguished chatoyancy. This highly translucent cabochon is beyond extraordinary, exhibiting mesmerizing green with a touch of blue, making it an irresistible beauty that every connoisseur is seeking out.