Tiger's Eye, Lava Rock and Onyx: Which Stone to Wear

Tiger's eye: warm and shifting

Tiger's eye is the warm one: honey through to deep brown, with a band of light that slides across the surface as the stone turns. It is the stone that draws the eye in a stack, and it softens an outfit that would otherwise read cold.

Because it sits in the warm end of the palette, it pairs naturally with copper, brass and brown leather, and it looks especially good next to denim.

Lava rock: matte and quiet

Lava rock is porous basalt, matte and almost black, with a texture you can feel. It does not reflect light, which makes it the perfect counterweight: put it beside tiger's eye and the stone's shimmer suddenly reads twice as strong.

It is also the most forgiving material in the box. It absorbs rather than scratches, and it takes a scuff without showing it. Keep it away from perfume and lotion, which settle into the pores, and rinse it with plain water if it starts to look dull.

Black onyx: the clean line

Onyx is glossy and even, and that is its job. Where tiger's eye shifts and lava rock absorbs, onyx gives the strand a clean, dark edge that makes the other two look deliberate rather than accidental.

It is hard and takes a high polish, so it holds its finish through daily wear. A quick wipe with a dry cloth is all it needs.

Mixing all three

Keep one stone dominant. A strand that gives equal space to three shiny or three matte materials reads as noise, while an unequal mix reads as design.

• Choose a dominant stone, then let the other two support it in smaller counts.
• Mix one polished material with two matte ones rather than the reverse.
• Stay in warm metals — copper or brass — so the tones agree.
• Keep the bead size consistent across all three stones; the texture is the variation, not the scale.
• Store beaded pieces flat, and take them off before swimming or showering.