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Marcasite
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You’ve heard of fool’s gold. Marcasite is the
white form of fools gold. Originally the name marcasite was
given by mineralogists to an unstable form of iron sulphide
crystallizing in the rhomibic system, but the marcasite found
in jewelry today is crystallized in the cubic system. It was
especially fashionable in Victorian times. Jewelers usually
describe marcasite as a bronze color, its designs usually
resembling an “Art Deco” period. You’ll
generally see marcasite jewelry shining with a vintage estate
look.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MARCASITE:
- Color is brassy yellow with a greenish tint at times.
A multi-colored tarnish may exist that is the result of
oxidation.
- Luster is metallic.
- Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
- Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
- Crystal Habits include the tabular, bladed or prismatic
forms. A twinning effect produces spear shaped crystal and
repeated twinning produces a "cock's comb" cluster.
Also massive, botryoidal, stalactitic and nodular. Sometimes
as a replacement mineral of fossils and a pseudomorph of
pyrite.
- Cleavage is poor in two directions.
- Fracture is uneven.
- Hardness is 6 - 6.5
- Specific Gravity is approximately 4.8+ (average for metallic
minerals)
- Streak is greenish to brownish black.
- Other Characteristics: A sulfur smell is sometimes detectable.
- Associated Minerals are calcite, dolomite, quartz, goethite,
fluorite, pyrrhotite, bornite, chalcocite, sphalerite, pyrite,
galena and other sulfides.
- Notable Occurrences are widespread, but the more notable
sites include Joplin, Missouri; Grant County, Wisconsin
and Hardin County, Illinios, USA; Guanajuato, Mexico; Escale
Pas de Calais, France; Peru; China and Russia.
- Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, smell and greenish
tint.
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