Pyrite Crystal Bracelet

Pyrite is iron sulfide - FeS₂ - and the most striking metallic mineral worn as a bead: a pale brass-gold with a bright metallic lustre, genuinely reflective rather than merely shiny. Mohs 6–6.5, hard for a metal-bright mineral.

Its hallmark is crystal form. Pyrite grows, unaided, in remarkably precise cubes and twelve-sided pyritohedra, their faces often scored with fine parallel striations - geometry so exact it looks machined, but entirely natural.

The name is from the Greek pyrites lithos, the stone that strikes fire: struck against steel, pyrite throws a spark, and it was used for exactly that in early firearms. A drop of moisture left on it over time can dull the surface, so it is kept dry.

Asked often

Is this real gold?
No - pyrite is iron sulfide, the mineral called fool’s gold for the resemblance. It is brighter and harder than gold, and grows in cubes gold never forms.

Why is it shaped so geometrically?
Pyrite naturally grows in near-perfect cubes and twelve-sided forms, faces often finely striated. The geometry is the mineral’s own - it looks machined but is entirely natural.

Does it really make sparks?
Yes - struck against steel it throws a spark, which is the root of its Greek name, the fire-stone. It was used to spark early firearms.

How do I care for it?
Keep it dry - this matters more than for most stones. Wipe with a soft, dry cloth only; moisture and humidity can tarnish or corrode the surface over time. Remove before water and store dry.

1. Worn on either wrist, over the hand, on a durable elastic cord.
2. Wipe with a soft, dry cloth only.
3. Keep it dry - moisture and humidity can tarnish pyrite over time. Remove before washing, swimming, and bathing.
4. Store it dry, away from damp, ideally with the rest of the collection kept cool.

Pyrite asks to be kept drier than the other stones in this range. As an iron mineral it can tarnish in damp - dry handling keeps the metallic shine bright.

Dry cloth only. Keep from all moisture and humidity. Remove before water; store dry.

• Stone: Pyrite · iron sulfide
• Composition: FeS₂
• Crystal system: Cubic
• Hardness: Mohs 6–6.5
• Character: Brass-gold · bright metallic lustre · cubic crystals
• Treatment: None
• Band: Durable elastic cord
• Origin: Peru
• Care: Dry cloth only · keep from all moisture

Pyrite has lit fires and lenses across history. Struck against flint or steel it sparks, and it served in the wheel-lock and early firing mechanisms of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Polished into flat discs, pyrite was used as mirrors by the peoples of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, who set it into ornaments and ritual objects.

Its brassy gleam fooled enough hopeful miners to earn the name fool’s gold - named here as the documented history. The shine is real metal; what it is taken to promise has always been the wearer’s to weigh.