1. Plural of chatoyant; gemstones or minerals that exhibit a luminous band of light moving across the surface when cut and polished, resembling the eye of a cat.
Usage: gemology term; often used in jewelry and mineral collecting

Examples

• The jeweler displayed several chatoyants in the window, including tiger's eye and chrysoberyl.
• Chatoyants are prized by collectors for their distinctive optical effect.
• The light danced across the chatoyants as she tilted the gemstones in her hand.
• These chatoyants show the characteristic band of light that makes them so valuable.
• Gemologists study chatoyants to understand how their internal structure creates the cat's-eye effect.