“Pyrite” is a term that is used to refer to a number of minerals found all around the world. However, there is one form that is more popular and well known than the rest – iron pyrite.
Also known as Fool’s Gold, iron pyrite or iron disulfide, it is a beautiful metallic mineral with a golden hue.
As the name suggests, this mineral closely resembles gold, and has been behind many a heartbreak over the years.
For the sake of this article, we will primarily be focusing on this form of pyrite, or else we would need a whole novel!
So, if you’re interested in learning more about this mineral, just keep reading!
What You Need to Know About Pyrite Minerals
What Is It?
As we mentioned before, “pyrite” is an umbrella term for a whole array of minerals, with the most popular being iron pyrite.
Although this mineral looks a lot like gold, it has a hardness of 6.5 on the MoHs scale, while gold comes in at 2.5.
Gold is a soft and malleable metal, whereas iron pyrite is brittle, and typically has striation on its surface, which sets it apart from gold.
Iron pyrite is the most common mineral within the whole metal sulfide group, meaning it is widespread. The pyrite family includes vaesite, arsenopyrite, cattierite, and Chalcopyrite.
Their most prominent characteristic is that they have the ability to spark when they get truck with steel.
This makes sense, as “pyrite” derives from the Greek word for “fire”. Before we were using electricity and easy methods to create fire, pyrite was commonly used to start fires.
In the 16th-17th century, it became a very popular source of ignition, and was even used in firearms! The most popular use of this material was in the wheellock.
There, it was used to create sparks that ignited gunpowder.
However, because pyrite is so brittle, it quickly got replaced with the more well-known flint.
Pyrite Colors
Pyrite can come in all different colors and shades, depending on what specific mineral that it is.
However, iron pyrite will typically be a yellow or golden orange color (much like gold). It tends to have a luster that is beautiful and golden metallic.
As this mineral is frequently used in jewelry, it might also look more silver in some cases. This is because when the mineral tarnishes, it becomes more iridescent, resembling gold.
Pyrite Meaning
You may want to keep pyrite close to you if you want to feel clarity in your life and focus on certain aspects.
Thanks to the metaphysical properties of this mineral, you can also use it to bring your creativity to life and be more efficient.
It can help to give you the energy you need, but also be more mindful of how you are using the time you have.
Generally, pyrite is a positive and wonderful mineral that you can use in your daily life.
You can keep it close if you want it to have a positive impact on your confidence and mood, as the energy of this mineral is sure to put a spring in your step.
You can’t help but be happy when you have it, and it shows!
This mineral is often called a “firestone” due to its beautiful, golden appearance.
Any stone that had a golden hue in Hellenistic Greece was associated with the sun by the astrologers and alchemists of the time.
Even in modern day alchemy, it is still strongly associated with the sun, and is also used in cathodes within batteries.
Pyrite Properties
To get into the science, pyrite is a type of sulfide mineral. It is chemically very similar to galena, gypsum, marcasite, and other sulfide minerals.
However, it is also often found to be associated with other minerals, such as dolomite (see also, ‘What is Dolomite?‘), hematite, barite, and sphalerite.
If you’re wondering where some of the best pyrite minerals can be found, it’s in the stunning Ica region, in Peru! You could also head to Sonora or Chihuahua, Mexico, or Spain’s Sierra de Caballos.
It’s important to note that jewelry that is labeled as marcasite (also sometimes incorrectly spelled as mercasite), is really pyrite.
This is because true marcasite isn’t fit for being used in jewelry, as it is chemically unstable and would not be safe.
We mentioned earlier that iron pyrite has also been given the name fool’s gold. It became very well-known back in the 1840s during the California Gold Rush.
It forms in similar conditions that gold does, and the minerals can even form beside one another in the same vein.
Anyone who did not have years of experience behind them could easily mistake fool’s gold for the real thing, only for the hopes and dreams to be shattered.
However, iron pyrite does still hold value. Nowadays, we can carry out metallurgic processes that will extract any “invisible” gold within the pyrite to be used commercially.
This is safer for the environment and doesn’t involve all the hassle of the mining processes!
You can find pyrite in sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous environments, so it is relatively easy to come by.
When sound in sedimentary rock, it has been reported to replace any organic material – creating fossils (see also ‘How Much Is Petrified Wood Worth?‘)!
Potential Benefits Of This Mineral
Pyrite has a lot of potential benefits that you can enjoy if you choose to make use of it. We will bullet point these below:
Abundance/prosperity – pyrite can help to attract prosperity and abundance when you need it. By leaving it in the furthest left corner of your home (prosperity section in the Feng Shui map) you may get what you need.
Meditating on self-worth – this is the best mineral to work with if you want to meditate on your self-worth and sense of value. It can help you realize the things that are important within you.
Self-agency – this mineral can help to remind us that we all are valuable and have self-agency, no matter what. We are different to those around us, as we are all different, and we need to make the most of our own lives.
Final Thoughts
Pyrite is a powerful mineral that you can use to bring wealth, abundance, self-worth, and self-agency to your life.
Although it is also known as “fool’s gold”, iron sulfide is still beautiful and powerful, much like each of us.
You can make use of this mineral in your everyday life and see the benefits, and you can even wear it as part of your jewelry.
However you choose to use it, you can expect great things to happen, so long as you focus on the positive energy it exudes.
Hi, my name is Andrea Daehma and I have been collecting and using crystals in my everyday life for just over six years now.
I have my own collection of crystals gracing my house, several for every scenario I could think of.
Learning about crystals has truly changed my life, and I want to help others turn their life around too. Please enjoy my website and find your own small stone to begin your crystal journey with!
