CAT'S EYE
Vedic Text
Being arrested and bound by the demigods, Vala emitteda thunderous war cry. This war cry transformed into the seed of the gemcat's eye.
Falling into the sea, these seeds agitated the ocean andproduced huge waves which washed them upon the shore of nearby lands. whereverthey settled they formed mines of shimmering cat's-eye. Many of these minesare near Sri Lanka's famous Vaidurya Hill and so the gems came to be knownas Vaidurya stones.
That terrible war cry of Vala also carried heavenwardand impregnated the clouds and the sky. Later, carried to earth by rainand comets, these sees formed smaller mines of cat's-eyes in scatteredareas.
The most precious cat's-eye are golden green like thebreast feathers of the peacock or light honey-green like a bamboo leaf.When these primary colors are mixed with shades of brown or burgundy, thegem is less valuable.
Gems such as apatite, tourmaline, and enstatite are sometimesmistaken for true chrysoberyl cat's-eyes, but can be differentiated bytheir lesser hardness. Other imitations, such as glass or quartz, are easilydetected by their relative lightness or low specific gravity.
The value of a true cat's-eye varies according to its color, clarity, and shape, A cat's-eye of excellent quality mined near the sea in Sri Lanka should be considered more valuable than an ordinary cat's-eye. The value of cat's-eye is approximately one third the value of similar quality blue sapphire. ---Sri Garuda Puranam: Chap. 73