Pyrite with rock crystal on metal base

About the Item

Pyrite (FeS2, iron (II) disulfide) is the most abundant sulfide mineral in the world. It is found literally everywhere, in igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks and in sedimentary rocks. It usually forms cubic crystals, with each crystal having six planes and razor-sharp corners and has a somewhat pale, coppery-yellow metallic luster. The ancient Greeks used pyrite to make fire. If you hit a piece of pyrite with a hard object, sparks will fly. Hence the name, πυρίτης (pyritēs) which means "for fire". For this reason the mineral was also popular for a while in the 16th and 17th centuries. Placing a piece of pyrite against a round file gave you just enough spark to fire a pistol of that era. Although pyrite is still primarily mined to make sulfuric acid, there have been more applications lately. For example, pyrite is found in Lithium batteries and the mineral is also increasingly used in solar panels. In the 1840'smMany of the inexperienced fortune hunters who went to California because gold was found there did not know of the existence of pyrite. So when they found large pieces of gold-colored ore they thought it was real gold. Only at the gold dealers they found out that nature had tricked them. Hence, pyrite is also known as "fools gold." Ironically, in 1980 people found out that pyrite crystals can indeed contain small amounts of gold and today they are mined in various places around the world for this very reason. Although pyrite is not a gemstone and is not used in jewelry, it is still prized for its beauty and is often collected as a mineral specimen. It is also used in decorative objects such as figurines and paperweights.

Dimensions:

Height: 5.52 in (14 cm)Width: 3.94 in (10 cm)Depth: 3.15 in (8 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Pyrite,Rock Crystal

Place of Origin:

Peru

Period:

15th Century and Earlier

Date of Manufacture:

Unknown

Condition:

Seller Location: