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Calcite Crystal with Pyrite growths #6

Calcite Crystal with Pyrite growths #6

$18.00Price

White gemmy to translucent Calcite crystals adorned with sparkly iridescent gold Pyrite or Chalcopyrite.

 

This calcite luminesces under exposure to short or long wave ultraviolet light. 

 

Collected from surface level in Cloncurry Queensland. 

Very unique growth - limited supply, only 7 specimens available of varying quality - what is still available on this website, are the last of these specimens. 

  • Hardness + Care

    Beware, calcite has a hardness of 3 and can be dissolved by and will react to weak acids. You can use a weak acid to test if your gemstone is calcite. It will bubble if so. Calcite is very easy to scratch, so handle with care!

    This specimen is rare and should be kept in a collectors case, on a shelf or in a great spot to be admired, but infrequently touched. 

  • Locality + Fossicking Process

    Calcite is found around the world as veins, ore deposits or as constituents of rocks such as marble or limestone. Calcite Crystals can get very large and transparent. Crystals can grow in many crystallographic forms, including rhombuses to mimic their inner crystal atlas, "Dog tooth" points, hexagonal crystals, stalactites, blades, botryoidal or more. 

    This specimen was found on surface level in Cloncurry Queensland. 

  • Crystal Description

    Calcite is the most common carbonate mineral that occurs around the globe, its chemical formula is CaCO3. It is one of the main constituents of limestone and marble, and occasionally crystallises into beautiful forms. Calcite has more uses than almost any other mineral; it is used industrially as an abrasive, construction material, for acid neutralisation, pigment, soil additive, pharmaceuticals and more! One identifying factor of Calcite is its tendency to luminesce under short or long wave ultraviolet light, another is its perfect rhombohedral cleavage which you may identify where there are fractures on the crystal.

    Although Calcite is abundant, Calcite Crystals can grow in an aray of forms, some more rare than others.

    Calcite can be a range of colours including: Transparent (iceland spar), white, blue, pink, yellow, brown, orange, purplish red, tan and grey. Some varieties display optical effects such as double refraction. Calcite can be a range of colours including: Transparent (iceland spar), white, blue, pink, yellow, brown, orange, purplish red, tan and grey. The colouration is due to the presence of metal ions (mostly in transition) or additional minerals within the lattice structure.

    - Green colors (often found in Mexico) can originate from the presence of malachite/copper.

    - Blue, Yellow and brown are due to Iron with different ions

    - Pink is caused by cobalt

    - light purple is caused by manganese (rarest)

    - Orange is caused by hematite

  • Crystal Profile

    To learn more about Calcite including where it is typically mined, its chemical formula and family, visit the Calcite Crystal Profile.

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