Auction Name: 2025 December 2 Property of a Distinguished Southern California Collector Nature & Science Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 72155

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/8237*72155

Marra Mamba Tiger's-Eye Sphere
Brockman Tiger eye mine (Marra Mamba), Mount Brockman
Ashburton Shire, Western Australia
Australia

The Marra Mamba deposit, located in central Western Australia, over 1,000 km northeast of Perth, is world-renowned for producing one of the most striking varieties of Tiger's-Eye ever discovered. Formed over millions of years, hydrothermal waters rich in Silica and Iron transformed the region's ancient banded iron formations into deposits of Hematite, Jasper, and Tiger's-Eye, their alternating layers capturing both geological history and aesthetic beauty. This large and exceptionally fine sphere exemplifies the material's unique character, displaying golden chatoyant Tiger's-Eye and rich, brilliant red Jasper. The gently curving bands reveal the immense pressures and mineral transformations that shaped the stone over eons. The Marra Mamba source is now exhausted, and specimens of this size and caliber have become exceedingly rare. The art of shaping such material into a flawless sphere is particularly challenging due to the variable hardness of its composite minerals. A massive and visually commanding specimen, representing one of the most sought-after and geologically fascinating materials ever discovered in Western Australia.
Measurements: 9.75 inches (24.76 cm) in diameter

Provenance: Property of a Distinguished Southern California Collector, Ex. Gerard L. Cafesjian Collection

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