ES

Marcasite

· 1 min read · Materials

Jewelry marcasite is actually pyrite: tiny brilliant cuts of metallic yellow set in silver; fragile and sensitive to humidity.

Illustration: Marcasite

In jewelry, “marcasite” means faceted pyrite in tiny brilliant cuts, set mostly in silver. It was very popular in the Victorian era and Art Deco. The true mineral marcasite is too fragile for jewelry.

Properties #

  • Composition: iron sulfide (pyrite)
  • Hardness: 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale.
  • Color: metallic yellow, sometimes darkened.
  • Origins: Spain, Peru, Italy and the USA.
  • Treatments: polished and set in silver.

Uses in jewelry #

  • Vintage-style earrings, brooches and pendants.
  • Silver jewelry with an antique look.
  • Art Deco pieces.

Pros and cons #

Advantages #

  • Striking metallic sparkle.
  • Inexpensive.
  • Vintage style.

Limitations #

  • Fragile and deteriorates with humidity.
  • Can come loose from the setting.
  • Poorly suited to daily wear.

Care and cleaning #

  • Clean with a dry cloth.
  • Avoid water, ultrasonic and chemicals.
  • Store dry and apart.

See also #

This entry was drafted with the help of AI and is pending review by the author.