Pietersite is often called the tempest stone, and one look explains why. It is essentially tiger's eye and hawk's eye that were shattered by earth movements and then naturally re-cemented by quartz, a process called brecciation. The result swirls gold, blue, grey and rust together in chaotic, storm-cloud patterns, with chatoyant flashes sweeping in every direction instead of one neat band. It was discovered by Sid Pieters in Namibia in 1962, and the only other significant source is Hunan province in China.
With quartz's hardness of 6.5 to 7 and a well-knitted structure, pietersite handles daily wear comfortably. It is always cut as cabochons and beads, since a domed polish is what sets those stormy flashes moving. It is a favourite for dramatic pendants and men's rings. Care is easy: warm, soapy water and a soft brush. Its chaotic pattern is difficult to imitate convincingly, but its rarity attracts mislabelled tiger's eye, so look for that multidirectional storm-light effect.
Pietersite is literally tiger's eye and hawk's eye, broken and reforged by nature into storm patterns.
