Bulgarian Calcite
Calcite is calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and one of the most common minerals on Earth. It is the main mineral of limestone and marble, it builds most of the stalactites and stalagmites in caves, and many sea creatures make their shells from it. People have used it for thousands of years as building stone and to make lime and cement. As a crystal it is remarkably varied, with hundreds of known forms, and clear calcite shows strong double refraction: a line seen through it appears doubled.
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Mineral guide
Bulgarian Calcite
Bulgarian calcite
The calcite in this collection comes from Bulgaria. In the lead-zinc veins of the Rhodope Mountains, calcite often formed late, after the quartz and the ore minerals, so it tends to sit on top of them as pale rounded crystal groups, sharp rhombs or thin plates known to collectors as paper calcite. Some calcite fluoresces under ultraviolet light, usually in red, orange or pink tones caused by traces of manganese; listings for pieces that glow show UV photos and name the wavelength.
Other minerals in these specimens
Most of our Bulgarian calcite specimens are mixed. Calcite usually shares the piece with quartz, dark galena, sphalerite or brassy pyrite, and orange iron staining is common. The title of each listing names every mineral in the piece, and mixed specimens also appear in the collection of each mineral they contain.
How to recognise calcite
Calcite is soft at Mohs 3: a steel knife scratches it easily, but a fingernail does not. It has perfect cleavage in three directions, so broken pieces split into slanted, box-like rhombs. A drop of dilute hydrochloric acid makes it fizz as it releases carbon dioxide, a quick test that separates it from quartz, which does not react.
Caring for calcite
Calcite is soft and reacts with acids, so keep it away from vinegar, lemon juice and household cleaners, and do not use ultrasonic cleaners. Dust it with a soft dry brush, and if it needs washing, use plain water briefly and let it dry fully.
Each listing shows the weight and photos of the actual specimen.