- Stone type
- Natural baryte on quartz with galena
- Weight
- 311g
- Size
- 80x69x62mm
- Color
- White with grey
- Cut
- Rough
- Clarity
- Opaque
- Treatment
- Untreated
- Origin
- Androvo mine, Bulgaria
- Hardness
- 2.5-7
Natural White Baryte on Quartz and Galena Androvo Mine Bulgaria 311g
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Blades of baryte fan out across the top of this specimen, tabular crystals with squared-off ends overlapping one another like a loosely spread stack of cards. They are colorless to milky white and glassy where the faces are clean, turning chalky and pale cream where they grow down into the matrix. Beneath and around them the surface is a bed of small white quartz crystals, and along the lower right edge sits a run of dark lead-grey galena with the bright metallic luster the mineral is known for, with a few brassy pyrite specks nearby.
Baryte is barium sulfate, and its high density is the giveaway in the hand: the piece feels noticeably heavier than a quartz specimen of the same size. The Androvo mine in Bulgaria is collected specifically for baryte in this tabular, well-formed habit, and the association with quartz and galena is typical of the ore veins there. Untreated. At 3 to 3.5 on the Mohs scale baryte is soft, which makes this a display and cabinet piece.
Natural white baryte on quartz and galena, Androvo mine, 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.
- Handle with careThis specimen contains galena, a lead sulfide. Handling it is fine, but wash your hands afterwards, never lick or chew it, keep it away from children and pets, and never grind or sand it.
- Hardness
- 2.5-7
- Cleavage
- Varies
- Durability
- Fair
- Soapy water
- Rinse only
- 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
Rinse it briefly in lukewarm water, loosen dirt with a soft brush and let it air-dry. Do not scrub the crystals. 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 soft enough to be scratched by a fingernail, so handle it as little as possible.
Scale
True to scale: 80 × 69 × 62 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.
