fbpx
Skip to content
GeoDan Gemstones
  • Home
  • About gemstones
    • List from A to Z
      • A-C
        • Agate
        • Alexandrite
        • Amber
        • Amethyst
        • Ammolite/Ammonite
        • Aquamarine
        • Beryl
        • Carmeltazite
        • Carnelian
        • Chalcedony
        • Chalcopyrite
      • D-O
        • Diamond
        • Emerald
        • Garnet
        • Labradorite
        • Lapis Lazuli
        • Malachite
        • Onyx
        • Opal
      • P-Z
        • Pearl
        • Peridot or Chrysolite
        • Pyrite
        • Realgar
        • Rhodochrosite
        • Ruby
        • Sapphire
        • Turquoise
        • Variscite
        • Vulcanite
        • Zoisite
    • Gemstones by Color
      • Black, white and colorless
      • Blue, purple, violet
      • Green and turquoise gemstones
      • Red and pink
      • Yellow to brown
    • Synthetic gemstones
    • History of gems
    • FAQ – Questions and Answers
  • Healing stones
    • Birthstones
    • Effect of healing stones
    • Charging and discharging
    • Healing stone therapy
    • History of healing stones
    • Gemstones and the four elements
  • Buying guide
    • Quality features
    • Goldsmiths we trust
  • About us
    • About us
    • Contact
  • English
  • Svenska

Chalcopyrite

Chalcopyrite

Contents

    • The gem that tarnishes colorfully
  • Name and etymology
  • Chalcopyrite color
  • Popular size and shape

The gem that tarnishes colorfully

Chalcopyrite starts out brass-colored to golden yellow, however, with weathering it runs in full spectrum. Another name for the mineral is stained copper, and other synonyms for the gem are Copper Pyrite or yellow gravel. It consists of copper, iron and sulphur and belongs to the mineral class of sulfides and sulfosalts.

Iridescent stone

Chalcopyrite is primarily a raw material: it is an important copper ore, which they use in devices like solar cells. With a Mohs hardness of 3.5 to 4, it is quite soft and you can cut it with an ordinary knife, this makes the gemstone unsuitable for making jewelry.

Its beautiful shine and many colors make the stone so popular that you can buy it as tumbled gemstones, or as pendants. You should take special care of jewelry made of Chalcopyrite because it is easily scratched.


Name and etymology

The name Chalcopyrite comes from the Greek: Chalkos (Χαλκός) = Copper and Pyr (Πύρ) = Fire

Johann Friedrich Henckel, a doctor and mineralogist described the gemstone scientifically for the first time in 1725.

Synonyms: copper pyrite, geelkis, yellow pyrite and Pyrites Aureo Colore

The Chemnitz physician, Georgius Agricola (1494-1555), considered the father of Mineralogy, had previously coined the collective term Chalcopyrite for the hard arsenic, sulfur and antimony metal sulfides.

Chalcopyrite color

Chalcopyrite is actually brass to gold, but with exposure it becomes colorful. Its insignia color is greenish-black to deep black.

Mineral class and group

Mineral class: sulfides and sulfosalts

Chemical formula: CuFeS2

Connection: 1 copper + 1 iron + 2 sulfur

Popular size and shape

As mentioned in the introduction, the Pyrite with a Mohs hardness of 3.5 to 4 is very soft, so it is not very suitable for jewelry. Because of its popularity it still sells as a tumbled stone and as a jewel. Typically cut round or oval in cabochon cut.

Chalcopyrite becomes iridescent

 

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Search on the website

Admin login

Recent posts

  • The color of Amethyst
  • Amber – a closer look
  • Worth knowing about Agate
  • How much do gemstones cost?
  • New research on Lapis Lazuli
  • Why are gemstones so valuable?
  • Gem types

Categories

  • Amethyst
  • Articles
  • Buyer's guide
  • FAQ
  • Researches
  • Worth knowing

Tags

amber amethyst cerificates color costs history interesting facts lapis lazuli prices rare gems researches value

From our collection


AmberAmber
peridot chrysoliteperidot chrysolite
AmethystAmethyst
healingStones1-e1542478880180healingStones1-e1542478880180
AquamarineAquamarine
RUBYRUBY
lapislazulilapislazuli
Depositphotos_8920492_original-e1528462962339-150×150Depositphotos_8920492_original-e1528462962339-150×150
alexandritealexandrite
agateagate
beryllberyll
sapphiresapphire
precious-1199183_960_720-150×150precious-1199183_960_720-150×150
a TO Za TO Z
OVERVIEW OF FRABEOVERVIEW OF FRABE

Disover more on our site

  • About gemstones
  • About us
  • Ädelstenar – kristaller – smycken
  • Agate – the layered gemstone
  • Alexandrite – the color-changing gemstone
  • Amber – the fossil resin
  • Amethyst – the purple gemstone
  • Ammolite and Ammonite
  • Aquamarine – water of the sea
  • Articles
  • Aside texts
  • Beryl – a diverse gemstone
  • Birthstones
  • Black, white and colorless
  • Blue, purple, violet
  • Buy / purchase no exist in german
  • Buy gems
  • Buy gems
  • Buying guide
  • Carmeltazite
  • Carnelian
  • Chalcedony
  • Chalcopyrite
  • Charging and discharging
  • Contact
  • Diamond
  • Effect of healing stones
  • Effect of healing stones
  • Emerald – brilliant green
  • FAQ – Questions and answers
  • Footer
  • Garnet or Garnet group
  • Gemstone list from A to Z
  • Gemstones and the four elements
  • Gemstones by Color
  • Goldsmiths we trust
  • Green and turquoise gemstones
  • Healing stone therapy
  • Healing stones
  • History of gems
  • History of healing stones
  • Instagram – GeoDanGems
  • Labradorite – iridescent play of colors
  • Lapis Lazuli – the stone of the sky
  • Malachite
  • Newsletter
  • Onyx – a variety of Chalcedony
  • Opal – a dreamy spectrum of color
  • Pearl
  • Peridot or Chrysolite
  • Privacy policy
  • Purchase advisor – no exist in german
  • Purchase gems
  • Pyrite
  • Quality features
  • Realgar
  • Red and pink
  • Rhodochrosite – Inca rose or Rosinca
  • Ruby – eternally desirable
  • Sapphire – worshiped by Saturn
  • Shapely Backup Settings
  • Shapely Child Backup Settings
  • Synthetic gemstones
  • Turquoise
  • Variscite – the Vogtland stone
  • Vulcanite
  • Yellow to brown
  • Zoisite – Anyolite and Metamorphic rocks

Search site

New Blog Entries

  • The color of Amethyst
  • Amber – a closer look
  • Worth knowing about Agate
  • How much do gemstones cost?
  • New research on Lapis Lazuli

Disclosure

Our goal is to present only credible, high-quality information about gemstones and help our visitors to make the wisest choices when buying valuable items for jewelry or for private collections.

Site info

log-in

XML sitemaps
privacy statement

Web-admin: Georgios Xyftilis
Editor in chief: Redaxy
GeoDan is member of IGS – International Gem Society

Theme by Colorlib Powered by WordPress