Description
PYRITE SPECIMEN
This is the polished on the one side pyrite specimen. Dimensions: 2.2 x 2.0 x 0.6″ (5.5 x 5.2 x 1.6cm). Weight – 2.6oz (75 grams). Origin: Russia, Siberia.
Some information about pyrite:
The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, also known as fool’s gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula FeS2. This mineral’s metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue give it a superficial resemblance to gold, hence the well-known nickname of fool’s gold. The color has also led to the nicknames brass, brazzle, and Brazil, primarily used to refer to pyrite found in coal.
Pyrite is the most common of the sulfide minerals. The name pyrite derived from the Greek pyrites, “of fire” or “in fire”. In ancient Roman times, this name applied to several types of stone that would create sparks when struck against steel.
Pyrite usually found associated with other sulfides or oxides in quartz veins, sedimentary rock, and metamorphic rock, as well as in coal beds and as a replacement mineral in fossils. Despite being nicknamed fool’s gold, pyrite sometimes found in association with small quantities of gold. Gold and arsenic occur as a coupled substitution in the pyrite structure.
