How to clean it
Dry cloth only. Keep dry — pyrite degrades in humidity and can crumble.
Brassy metallic yellow
Pyrite
Properties
Composition
Iron sulphide (FeS₂)
Hardness (Mohs)
6–6.5
Crystal system
Cubic
Colour
Brassy metallic yellow
Mined in
Spain, Peru, Italy, USA, Russia
Worth knowing
Known as fool's gold, but it grows in near-perfect natural cubes — a shape so precise it is often mistaken for carved. It degrades in humidity, so keep it dry.
History
The Greek pyrites lithos meant "stone of fire" — struck against steel it throws sparks.
Practical
Caring for Pyrite
How to tell it is real
Called fools gold for good reason, but the reverse confusion is easy to settle: pyrite is brittle and shatters, gold is malleable and dents. Pyrite also grows in natural cubes.
One general rule covers most mistakes: never store stones loose together. Diamond at 10 on the Mohs scale scratches everything else you own, and it does not need much contact to do it.
What that hardness means in practice
Softer than household dust. Better in earrings or a pendant than in a ring, where it takes constant knocks.
Traditional associations
Pyrite is traditionally linked to enterprise, initiative and material confidence. In chakra systems it is placed at the Solar Plexus, and in elemental correspondence it is assigned to Fire.
These are cultural associations recorded across various traditions, not claims about physical effects. The composition and hardness above are measurable; this paragraph is folklore, and worth reading as such.
Questions
What is Pyrite made of?
Iron sulphide (FeS₂), crystallising in the cubic system.
Where does Pyrite come from?
Spain, Peru, Italy, USA, Russia.
How do I clean Pyrite?
Dry cloth only. Keep dry — pyrite degrades in humidity and can crumble.
How can I tell if Pyrite is real?
Called fools gold for good reason, but the reverse confusion is easy to settle: pyrite is brittle and shatters, gold is malleable and dents. Pyrite also grows in natural cubes.
Can I wear it every day?
At 6–6.5 on the Mohs scale, not in a ring. Keep it to pieces that take fewer knocks.