Pyrite Meaning, Uses & Care

Pyrite is iron sulphide, grows in near-perfect metallic cubes as if machined, and is the original fool's gold — the name comes from the Greek for fire, because struck against steel it sparks. Real prospectors' tell: gold is soft and pyrite is brittle. Nobody who ever held both was fooled twice.

ColourGold
ChakraSolar Plexus
ZodiacLeo
ElementEarth/Fire
Known forabundance, willpower, protection

What pyrite is used for

The tradition gives it wealth, drive and a protective shine — a mirror that sends bad intent back the way it came. It is the desk stone of the ambitious: placed in workspaces and shops much as citrine is, but with more iron in its character. Solar plexus chakra.

A cube or cluster on the desk. It is also simply one of the most startling natural objects you can own — people assume the cubes are cut, and they are not.

How to care for it

Keep dry (it tarnishes); cleanse with sound. Keep it dry — it is iron sulphide and will tarnish, and damp pyrite slowly decays. Cleanse with sound.

Pyrite in the shop

Stones that keep it company

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