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Pyrite Stone Meaning

female holding two pyrite clustersIt's time to sparkle and shine with magical Pyrite stones. Also known as Fool's Gold, there's nothing foolish about this powerful gem. Pyrite stands on its own as a unique crystal, ready to serve you aesthetically and metaphysically. 

 

Let's learn all about Pyrite, from its geological facts to its crystal healing meanings. 

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Watch the Pyrite Video

If you prefer the vibrancy of voice and visuals, click on our Youtube video for an overview of Pyrite Stone.

While you are there, catch up on all of your A-Z Satin Crystals Meanings video series, where we answer your questions on all of the most popular crystals. You can also add your questions and stories directly to the Youtube comments. 

Can you benefit from Pyrite?

If any of these statements apply to you, you can benefit from Pyrite crystals: 

  • You are seeking a stone of prosperity

  • You would like to be on the right side of Luck

  • You are drawn to shiny treasures

  • You need protection from negative energy

  • You want to look on the brighter side of life

  • You want to connect with the element of Fire

  • You are ready to open and balance your lower chakras

What is Pyrite?

Pyrite is an Iron Sulfide mineral also known as Fool's Gold because of its metallic gold surface.

The stone got its name from the Greek word "pyr" meaning "fire" because it can be used to create fire. 

What healing properties does Pyrite have?

In crystal healing, Pyrite is a stone known for lifting your optimism while keeping your feet firmly on the ground. It helps you see the brighter side of life without losing a sense of reality. 

Here are the popular healing properties associated with Pyrite crystals: 

  • Deflecting unwanted energies from your aura

  • Clearing the mental chatter from your head

  • Attracting wealth, prosperity, and abundance

  • Inspiring a positive mind frame

  • Lighting the fire in your soul

sheila of satin crystals holding two pyrite spheres

How do you use Pyrite in crystal healing?

There are infinite ways to use your Pyrite stones in your crystal healing practice. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

    • Wear Pyrite jewelry to protect your aura when you go out

    • Hold Pyrite crystal eggs during new beginning manifestations

    • Brighten your space by decorating with natural Pyrite stones 

    • Hold a Pyrite sphere during your meditation

    • Gift Pyrite hearts to those who could use some hope

    • Lie in a Pyrite grid to clear your head from anxious thoughts

    • Place Pyrite tumbled stones under your pillow to recall creative ideas manifested during your dreams 

    • Grid your space with Pyrite stones for a protection ritual

    • Place flat Pyrite stones at your Solar Plexus and/or Sacral chakras during chakra balancing rituals

Where do you place Pyrite in your home?

Placing shiny Pyrite crystals anywhere in the home will help lift the energy and protect your space.

Here are some specific placements to try according to Feng Shui: 

  • Place Pyrite in the Wealth Corner for abundance (the top left corner of your space)

  • Place Pyrite at your front door for protection

hand holding pyrite cube in white matrix
How do you manifest money with Pyrite?

Like with all abundance stone, it is up to you to manifest your desires with the help of Pyrite. Because it is closely associated with Gold, Pyrite has always been known as a stone of wealth and prosperity. Here are a few ways you can use your Pyrite crystals in your money manifestations: 

  • Program your Pyrite for money before placing it in the Wealth Corner of your space

  • Hold Pyrite during your money meditations

  • Write down your money goals and place them under a prized Pyrite stone

  • Create a money mandala with Pyrite crystals

  • Make a money vision board line it with Pyrite stones

  • Keep Pyrite crystals wherever you keep your money - in your wallet, cash register, or by your computer if you collect money digitally

Learn more about How to use Abundance Stones

Metaphysics of Pyrite

Here are some common metaphysical associations of Pyrite:

  • Astrological Associations: Leo

  • Planetary Associations: Mars

  • Chakras: Solar Plexus, Sacral, Root

  • Archangel: Uriel

  • Vibrational Number: 3

  • Element: Fire

sheila of satin crystals holding two pyrite cubes in white matrix
Sheila's personal experience with Pyrite stones

When you say Pyrite, the first story that comes to my mind was a big lesson. This occurred many years ago at the beginning of our crystal journeys in the early 2000s. I was visiting my relatives in Thailand and my aunt had the house surrounded by all of the stones she was selling. They were placed in every corner collecting dust.

Bored, I got the brilliant idea to start cleaning her collection. She has a large Pyrite cluster full of cubic crystals just waiting to shine. I submerged them in the sink and forgot about them for a few hours. 

Upon my return, my heart sunk. The cluster had disintegrated. There were Pyrite cubes everywhere! Ever since then, I tell everyone about the dangers of washing Pyrite! 

Lisa's personal experience with Pyrite stones

When it comes to Pyrite, I like nice and weighty carved pieces. This is unusual for me because I almost always prefer spherical shaped gemstones. I guess it reminds me of a large metallic sculpture. Two of my favorite pieces that come to mind are a big Pyrite Bull and a carved Pyrite Skull. 

Pyrite carved into statues gives off the feeling of prosperity and grandeur. I'm gazing into a magnificent piece of art. The nice, shiny golden color is the icing on the cake. I truly consider this one of the most attractive abundance stones out there.

hand wearing pyrite bracelets carrying a pyrite cluster
What are Pyrite's mineral facts?

Pyrite is one of the most common Sulfide minerals. A Sulfide mineral contains sulfur and one other element. Pyrite is also known as an Iron Disulfide because it contains one Iron and two Sulfur molecules. 

  • Mohs Scale of Hardness: 6 - 6.5

  • Surface Color: Brassy yellow to a dark silvery black

  • Streak Color (can vary from surface color, this is the color of the crystals’ powdered minerals): Greenish-black or brownish-black

  • Group: Sulfide

  • Cleavage (where the crystal breaks off naturally to form a new face, parallel to its structure. This is a clean break and can cleave over and over again along the same face, retaining the crystals structure): None

  • Fracture (where the crystal breaks randomly, not on cleavage): Conchoidal (concave clam-like glassy break) to splintery

  • Luster: Metallic 

  • Transparency: Opaque (light does not go through)

  • Crystal System: Cubic

  • Crystal Habit: Cubic, Octahedral, Pyritohedral, Massive, Radiated, Granular, Globular, or Stalactitic

male child holding two pyrite clusters

Can Pyrite be silver?

Depending on the minerals in your specific Pyrite, it could look more silver than gold. You could also have stabilized Pyrite, which is mixed with silver for stability. 

Does Pyrite break easily?

Yes, Pyrite is a brittle stone and can break easily.

Whereas Gold bends under pressure, Pyrite will break. 

Is Pyrite found near real Gold?

Pyrite and Gold often form together under similar conditions, making Pyrite a useful stone in mining for Gold. Sometimes Gold is included within the Pyrite stone. 

24 karat gold flakes in a bottle and a tumbled pyrite stone

What properties can be used to tell Gold and Pyrite apart?

To tell Gold and Pyrite apart, here are a few tests:

  • Gold is heavier than Pyrite. Pyrite will float in the water where Gold will sink. 

  • Gold is only a 2.5 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness compared to Pyrite's 6.5. Gold is softer than Pyrite. Pyrite can not be scratched by a pocket knife as Gold can. 

  • Gold is not brittle like Pyrite. Under pressure, Gold will bend where Pyrite will break. If you smash both with a hammer, the Gold will flatten and the Pyrite will break into tiny pieces. 

  • Gold has a yellow color whereas Pyrite has a more muted brassy tone. 

  • Pyrite may have parallel striations on its surface. Gold does not that striations. 

  • Pyrite is almost always tarnished once it hits the air so it will not be as bright as Gold.

  • Gold leaves a yellow streak while Pyrite leaves a greenish-black streak. Learn how to do the streak test for minerals

  • Gold has a higher specific gravity of 19.3 than Pyrite's 5. 

  • Gold has no odor, while Pyrite will give off a subtle sulfur (rotten egg) smell if rubbed vigorously.

  • Gold has low iron content and will not stick to a magnet while some Pyrite with high iron content will.

What happens when Pyrite is heated?

Unlike Gold, Pyrite will not melt when heated. It will release its sulfur molecules and turn into Pyrrhotite (a weakly magnetic Pyrite). High heat can also burn and rust Pyrite.

How do you make fire with Pyrite?

To make fire with Pyrite, you can strike the stone against another piece of Pyrite, Iron, or Chert. This is the same concept as a modern-day lighter. The striking of the stones will create a spark needed to fuel your flammable tinder. 

Here is an interesting video on How Cavemen Made Fire

pyrite skull

Why is Pyrite dangerous?

Pyrite sometimes falls into the dangerous stone category because it can contain trace amounts of arsenic. However, once crystallized, the arsenic in Pyrite is not dangerous to you. Pyrite can not dissolve and absorb into your body as a crystal, so there is no threat when touching it. 

Even Pyrite decomposition disease is not harmful to you as a crystal enthusiast. It can be harmful to the crystal, but not to you! 

What is Pyrite disease?

Pyrite disease, also known as Pyrite rot or Pyrite decay, can lead to the decomposition of your stone. In oxygen and high humidity, Pyrite can oxidize and rust, releasing its sulfur molecules. The chemical reaction causes the crystal to crack, crumble, and release a sulfuric smell. The damage is irreversible. 

However, this does not happen to all Pyrite. If the crystal has formed in a stable environment, it will not be subject to disease. But because you cannot predict which pieces will fall victim to Pyrite disease, make sure your specimens are kept dry in low humidity. 

How is Pyrite formed?

Pyrite forms in all sorts of conditions and methods. It can form as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rocks. Pyrite forms in many different shapes, from the prized cube to the insignificant flake. 

male kid choosing from a box of pyrite clusters

Where is Pyrite found?

Pyrite is found worldwide. It is the most common Sulfide mineral. Some popular Pyrite localities include Peru, Spain, Canada, Russia, Mexico, Tanzania, Italy, and the USA. 

Pyrite can be found in hydrothermal mineral deposits, coal beds, and as replacement minerals in fossils. In this case, the Pyrite minerals replace organic plants and shells to create fossils known as Pyrite Dollars. 

What is Pyrite mined for?

Pyrite used to be used as the spark in firearms but has long been replaced by modern methods. It was also once mined for its sulfur content, but this practice has also been left behind. 

Today you can find Pyrite being mined for use as beads, jewelry, crystal sculptures. It is also useful for miners who are looking for Gold because they grow in the same conditions. Sometimes the real Gold inclusions in Pyrite are significant enough to extract from the stone.

Pyrite is also used to make iron sulfate. This is then used in nutritional supplements, water treatment, and other chemical processes. 

Is Pyrite a Marcasite?

Pyrite and Marcasite are polymorphs of each other. That means that they are both composed of the same chemical structure (Iron and Sulfur), but have different crystal structures. 

Marcasite is more brittle than Pyrite and has a slightly lower specific gravity at 4.8.

hands holding pyrite and chalcopyrite tumbled stones
What is the difference between Pyrite and Chalcopyrite?

Pyrite and Chalcopyrite look very similar to the untrained eye. Pyrite is an iron sulfide whereas Chalcopyrite is a copper iron sulfide. 

Other differences between the two minerals include:

  • Pyrite has a hardness of 6 - 6.5 to Chalcopyrite's 3.5 - 4

  • Pyrite has a higher specific gravity of 5 to Chalcopyrite's 4.1 - 4.3

  • Pyrite has a pale brass color while Chalcopyrite has a bright yellow color

  • Pyrite tarnishes a dull gray while Chalcopyrite tarnishes in iridescent colors

In everyday uses, Chalcopyrite is very important for its copper content which is utilized in almost all of our electronic devices. 

In crystal healing, Chalcopyrite is used to bring back your zest and vitality for life, opening the Crown chakra, and working with your Higher Self. 

Chalcopyrite is also found in Apache Gold Stones. 

What is the difference between Pyrite and Galena?

Pyrite is iron ore and Galena is lead ore. Galena is a metallic gray and can look similar to Pyrites that lean towards a silver shine. Galena is a soft 2.5 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness and produces a gray to black streak. 

Does Lapis Lazuli have Pyrite?

Yes! Lapis Lazuli contains Pyrite inclusions, giving the blue crystal a starry look. 

Learn more about Lapis Lazuli

sheila of satin crystals wearing pyrite jewelry

Can Pyrite be used for jewelry?

Pyrite can be used in jewelry, but it is usually too brittle on its own. Most of the Pyrite jewelry you find for sale will be stabilized. It has been mixed with silver to reduce oxidization and preserve luster. 

Who can wear Pyrite stone?

Pyrite's subtle metallic shine is attractive to both men and women. It is not overly flashy.

The appealing stone makes an affordable alternative to Gold. You can wear Pyrite gemstones in necklaces, earrings, bracelets, anklets, or rings and add an extra shine to your aura. 

Need a place to start? Shop the Top 7 Pyrite Jewelry pieces in our showcase. 

sheila of satin crystals holding a scrub brush and a pyrite cluster

How do you clean tarnished Pyrite?

Pyrite easily tarnishes and oxidizes. Keep in mind that Pyrite can disintegrate or rust in water. 

Here are a few cleaning methods to try: 

  • Clean with a rust stain solution like "Lime Away" followed by clean water
  • Soak in 2 parts distilled water and 1 part vinegar for 5 minutes
  • Use a toothbrush and whitening toothpaste
  • Use a hard toothbrush and liquid laundry detergent, rinse with water

Warning: Depending on the stability of your stone, these methods are not guaranteed to shine your Pyrite. Try at your own risk. 

Remember to keep your Pyrite stones in dry conditions and leave them out to dry for several hours after any liquid cleaning treatments. 

Why is my Pyrite not gold?

Pyrite in its true form is a gold-toned color, the color may be a pale, almost silvery-gold to a deep, rich, yellow-gold.

If your Pyrite is showing other colors, it is either dyed or treated. It is very popular to coat or electroplate Pyrite in other metals like Titanium to enhance its appeal with rainbow colors. 

Is Pyrite magnetic?

Some of your Pyrite may be weakly magnetic depending on the amount of iron found in the stone. Some Pyrite is not magnetic at all.

Check out the chart for your type of Pyrite to see if it is magnetic or not at Lambda Geeks

How do you cleanse Pyrite?

To energetically cleanse your Pyrite, choose a method that does not involve water. Because of its strong association with the element of Fire, Pyrite does well when cleared with smoke. 

Keep it away from crystals that are harder than a 6 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness to avoid scratching. 

To learn more about metaphysical crystal cleansing and charging, watch the video at Crystal Care

female child meditating with pyrite cluster

Magical Incantation of Pyrite

This is a message from Pyrite stone from Doreen Virtue and Judith Lukomski's book "Crystal Therapy":

"Your brethren knew me from the start when I have the spark of fire to humankind and the gift of reflection as a mirror. I ground you with awareness and protection; I clarify your focus and illustrate abundance. My shape is the Divine cubic design of manifestation. What is it that you desire? Clarity, action, and trust will bring it into your life. Shrouded in my protection, you are free to move between the seen and unseen, accessing the reality that is truth. God supports your quest and supplies all your needs, for the Universe is abundant in every way."

What does Pyrite mean in divination?

Drawing Pyrite in a gemstone divination session means: It's time to look at the bright side of your situation. Instead of dwelling on the cons, let Pyrite turn your thoughts to the pros. Know that any choice you make will be the right one because every choice has its merits. 

hand wearing pyrite bracelets holding three pyrite owl carvings
What chakra is Pyrite good for?

Chakra is good for the lower chakras. It stabilizes the emotions at the Solar Plexus chakra, activates the creative fires of the Sacral chakra, and keeps you grounded at the Root chakra.

To learn more about crystals and your chakras, visit the Chakra Guide

Will Pyrite set off a metal detector?

Pyrite will not set off a metal detector because the metal within the rock is not concentrated enough like it is in refined metal. 

What are Pyritized Seashells?

A Pyritized Seashell is a fossilized sea creature whose Calcite shell has been replaced with Iron Pyrite. The Pyrite minerals are found saturated in the surrounding marine waters.

Pyritized Seashells are not easily found these days. You may find them in old mineral collections or local rock shops. 

What are Pyrite Suns?

Pyrite Suns are concretions of Pyrite minerals. The sun shape specimens mostly come from the Illinois Coal Basin. Pyrite suns are found in coal-shale deposits all over the world, but the ones from Illinois are the best formed. 

Under the heat and pressure of deep buried coal and shale, the Pyrite concretions develop. Instead of developing into round nuggets, the pressure causes the Pyrite to grow laterally to form flat, disk-like suns.

Pyrite suns may show natural iridescence, but are often treated with acid to enhance this shimmer before selling on the market. The iridescent golden crystals are sometimes sold attached to their shale host rock.

With the decline and mechanicizing of coal mines, the supply of Pyrite suns has also declined. 

Where can I buy Pyrite stones?

Pyrite is a shiny addition to your crystal collection. Shop the Pyrite Collection on the website or find these powerful rocks for sale right here on the blog:

 

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Have any questions about Pyrite stones? Feel free to contact us by filling out the form below and Sheila or Lisa Satin will get back to you. 

Disclaimer: The information provided is for entertainment only. See full disclosure.