ron Pyrite, also known as fools gold enjoyed brief popularity in the 16th and 17th centuries as a source of ignition in early firearms, most notably the wheellock, where a sample of pyrite was placed against a circular file to strike the sparks needed to fire the gun.

Pyrite remains in commercial use for the production of sulfur dioxide, for use in such applications as the paper industry, and in the manufacture of sulfuric acid

Pyrite commonly forms cubes, octahedrons, pyritohedrons or some combinations of these forms. All pyrite is FeS2 with the same internal arrangement of iron and sulfur atoms. Why then, should pyrite crystals take on different shapes? All these forms reflect the same internal atomic symmetry, so the reasons must involve the conditions under which the pyrite forms. These are such things as temperature, pressure, acidity, and the composition of the fluids from which the pyrite grew.

The Iron Pyrite in this collection was sourced from many locations, under different conditions giving us the different shapes and formations you see before you.