- Stone type
- Natural chalcopyrite with quartz and sphalerite
- Weight
- 104g
- Size
- 59x49x32mm
- Color
- Black with brass-gold and cream
- Cut
- Rough
- Clarity
- Opaque
- Treatment
- Untreated
- Origin
- Bulgaria
- Hardness
- 3.5-7
Natural Chalcopyrite, Quartz and Sphalerite Cluster Crystal from Bulgaria 104g
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A compact block with three minerals well distributed across it. Dark grey-black sphalerite forms the ground, and set into it are chalcopyrite crystals in bright brass-gold, sharply formed and scattered from one side to the other, a couple of them noticeably larger than the rest. Cream-white quartz grows between them in fine needles gathered into small radiating bunches. Turned over, the piece shows a broad cream quartz face covering most of that side, with a small rust-orange stain toward the middle and dark sphalerite framing the edges.
Chalcopyrite is copper iron sulfide, and its warm brass color against the black sphalerite is what carries a piece like this. Both grow in the Bulgarian lead-zinc veins of the Rhodope Mountains, with the quartz needles crystallizing last, over the top of both. Untreated. Chalcopyrite is 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale, sphalerite the same and quartz 7. At 104g and 59mm it is a good hand specimen with something to look at on both sides.
Natural chalcopyrite, quartz and sphalerite cluster, Bulgaria, single piece.
We ship worldwide from Sofia, Bulgaria. Every order is packed in a protective box with bubble wrap. Orders within Bulgaria are dispatched within 1-2 business days and international orders within 2-3 business days. Free shipping is applied automatically at checkout, and the threshold applies to the order value after any discounts.
Delivery within Bulgaria
- Delivered by Speedy, Econt or Box Now, to a courier office, a locker or your address.
- Fixed prices: Box Now locker €1.60 (free on orders from €25), Speedy office €3.20, Econt office or locker €4.00, Speedy to your address €4.50.
- Free shipping on orders over €50, with any courier and at any weight.
- Cash on delivery is available.
- Delivery normally takes 1-2 business days after dispatch.
- Keep dryThis specimen contains metallic sulfides such as pyrite or chalcopyrite, which can tarnish or slowly decay in damp air. Do not wash it: dust it with a soft brush or air blower, dry it at once if it gets wet, and store it somewhere dry, ideally with a silica gel sachet.
- Hardness
- 3.5-7
- Cleavage
- Varies
- Durability
- Fair
- Soapy water
- Avoid
- Ultrasonic
- Avoid
- Steam
- Avoid
About this specimen
This specimen combines several minerals that grew together, each with its own hardness and weak spots, so treat it as gently as its softest part. Here soft minerals such as galena, calcite or sphalerite (hardness 2.5 to 4) sit right next to hard quartz (7).
Cleaning
Do not wash it. Dust it with a soft, dry brush or an air blower, and keep it dry. Skip ultrasonic and steam cleaners: they can loosen crystals and open cracks between the different minerals.
Wear and storage
Store it padded and apart from other specimens, so its edges and faces do not chip or scratch. Lift it by its base or matrix, not by the crystals. It is softer than a steel knife, so keep metal tools and harder stones away from it.
Scale
True to scale: 59 × 49 × 32 mm
Shown next to a €1 coin (23.25 mm) in the exact ratio, so you can picture the real size. The outline is approximate.
