Description
Barrels of brown tiger’s eye, lying between thin haematite discs and round obsidian beads. Three shapes, three sizes, on a brown cord with a sliding knot. It is the most rhythmic strand in the range.
The barrel cut is not a shortened round bead. It is a cylinder with bulged sides, drilled along its length, and that shape puts the tiger’s eye’s band of chatoyancy along the axis of the bracelet instead of letting it turn around the hole. The result is that light runs from one end of the barrel to the other as the wrist moves, something a round bead never does. The shape serves the effect, not the reverse.
The haematite discs are not there to decorate but to set the beat. Without them the barrels and the round beads would touch directly and the strand would look lopsided, because two different shapes set against each other always make a step. A flat disc between the two settles the joint. It is a problem of joinery more than of jewellery. The other bracelets are here.
The reservation concerns the brown cord. A pale braided cord soils visibly, where a black cord absorbs everything: after a year of daily wear, the brown will have darkened at the points of contact with the skin and will keep an uneven shade. It washes with lukewarm water and mild soap, but the original shade does not fully come back. The cord can be replaced, and I redo it at no charge.
Crystal lore ties obsidian to grounding, haematite to strength and tiger’s eye to watchfulness. None of that is proven, and no piece of jewellery heals anything. I have gathered separately what tradition attributes to obsidian and what it says about pairings, in the conditional from start to finish.
- Three stones and three shapes: tiger’s eye barrels, haematite discs, obsidian beads.
- The barrel cut puts the chatoyancy along the axis of the bracelet.
- Braided brown cord with a sliding knot, adjustable from 15 to 22 cm.
- The pale cord marks over time; I replace it at no charge.
What to know before you wear it
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The specifications
- Stones
- Natural brown tiger’s eye, haematite, black obsidian
- Shapes
- Barrels, flat discs, round beads
- Wrist size
- Adjustable from 15 to 22 cm / 6 to 8 3/4 in
- Stringing
- Braided cord with sliding knot, no metal clasp
- Weight
- About 22 g / 0.8 oz
- Stone origins
- South Africa, Brazil, Mexico
- Gender
- Men
- Brand
- Bijoux Obsidienne
Three stone sizes on a single cord
Mixing three shapes on one cord raises a problem of hole alignment. A barrel is drilled along its length, a disc through its thickness, a round bead through its centre: the three holes do not come out at the same height relative to the surface. String them at random and the cord zigzags and the strand ripples. So the order has to be worked out for the heights to cancel each other, and that is the only reason the discs always come in pairs here.
This strand exists because tiger’s eye in round beads often disappoints. The chatoyancy is there but it turns, and on a sphere you only see a glint of it. The barrel unrolls it. The other bracelets are here and the obsidian guide explains the main stone.
On a sphere the chatoyancy turns and you only see a glint. The barrel unrolls it from end to end.
Obsidian and tiger’s eye do not mind water, but haematite spots with rust if it stays damp and the brown cord takes a long time to dry. Take the bracelet off before the shower. A soft dry cloth, never an ultrasonic bath. Cleaning an obsidian piece covers the rest.
