The first type of pyrite fake is sparkling silver or golden glue. Fake pyrite made of chips of copper incorporated into some other minerals will look like flakes, unlike real pyrite crystals, which are isometric. Let us add some information about pyrite fakes spotted, and you will be an expert in differentiating real and fake pyrite.įake pyrite made of sparkly silver or gold glue or other kinds of epoxy will be warm to the touch and will glow under UV light. Pyrite Value: Main Factors & Prices for Different Units How to Spot Fake Pyrite?įake pyrite can be spotted easily, as real pyrite minerals have a lot of unique properties described in the previous passage. Check out the main factors that determine pyrite’s value in the article below: TIP: Pyrite value can vary dramatically depending on the types of samples. Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Rocks and Minerals (National Geographic Kids).Gemstone & Crystal Properties (Quick Study Home).Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals.Crystals are mostly isometric with cubic forms mostly.īTW: Do you want to know more about rock and mineral identification? The books listed below are the best ones you can find on the internet (Amazon links):.The color of real pyrite is brass-yellow.It’s absolutely opaque and black with a slightly green tinge streak. Because of high specific gravity, real pyrite feels very hard and cold when placed into a hand. Real pyrite can be identified by the isomorphic form of crystals (cubes mostly) and by striations on the facets. Real pyrite has a lot of characteristics that let you distinguish it from other minerals. Spain pyrites are the most desirable specimens by mineral collectors. Today Italy and China are the world’s largest producers of pyrite, followed by Russia and Peru. Sometimes they are too perfect to be natural and look like a skillful craftsman carved mathematically correct cubes, but they are created by nature. They are highly aesthetic, sharp, lustrous, and nearly perfect. The mines in Navajun, La Rioja, Spain produce some of the biggest and most intricate pyrite clusters available. Isometric crystals of raw pyrite occur in the form of cubes, pyritohedrons, and octahedrons.įor many years Spain was the largest producer of pyrite. Even raw pyrite crystals are surprisingly symmetrical. Raw pyrite can be found in massive, radiating, drusy, fibrous forms as well as perfectly even formed crystals. Just dig deeper, and you will find your perfect one! Sometimes raw pyrite looks dull and tarnished if it is exposed to weathering for a long time. After that, isometric cubic crystals with striations can be spotted. At first glance, pyrite resembles gold, which makes the heart of a gem hunter go faster. Real pyrite can be found as an accessory mineral in igneous rocks, in vein deposits in association with quartz and other sulfide minerals like hematite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite, and in sedimentary rocks, such as shale, coal, and limestone. For instance, it can be created by magmatic (molten rock) segregation or by hydrothermal solutions. Pyrite minerals can be formed in a variety of conditions. Or in spectacular disk-shaped mineral concretions sometimes called pyrite “suns” or “miners’ dollars” found in Illinois. Real pyrite also occurs in massive, radiating, drusy, fibrous aggregates. The other impressive characteristic of pyrite is its extraterrestrial form of crystals: cubes, pyritohedrons, and octahedrons and their combinations. It occurs in a brass-yellow color, which sometimes can tarnish to dull brass. Pyrite is an iron sulfide ( FeS 2) containing 46.67 percent of iron and 53.33 percent of sulfur by weight. Pyrite’s specific gravity is high – 4.9-5.2 g/cm 3. The hardness is 6 – 6.5 on the Mohs scale, which is greater than that of glass. It is cold by touch, has striations on the facets, is hard enough, and contains 46.67 percent iron by weight. Real pyrite occurs in the form of cubes or multifaceted crystals. Keep going and explore some other properties you will be surprised by. Otherwise, how mathematically symmetrical perfect crystals can be created? But these forms are typical for natural pyrite. Natural pyrite crystals in the shape of cubes, octahedrons, or pyritohedrons are usually perceived by people as something artificial. Real pyrite can impress everybody with its perfect form of crystals. If you are interested in checking out the best books about rock and mineral identification you can find them by clicking here (Amazon link). The Main Differences Between Real and Fake Pyrite
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