Binghamite Keychain

This is a keychain that I recently made from a rock known as Binhamite.

Binghamite is a Iron rich Chalcedony that forms in the Cuyuna Iron Range near Brainard Minnesota. Binghamite comes in colors of red, yellow, white, and black. What makes the stone unique is that it can display a "cats eye" reflective effect caused by chatoyancy. The chatoyancy in Binghamite is the reason the rock is sometimes called American Tiger Eye.

I made the keychain by cutting thin slabs on my saw then cutting the slab into a rough outline. I further shaped the stone and polished it on the flat lap machine. Once this was complete I drilled a eye hole with a dremel and attaching a key ring.

I picked up the rough material at a rock show about a year ago from a vendor selling different type of rough stone.

The dimensions are 2"x 1.4"x .22" The weight is 21 grams.