PYRITE. Niccioleta Mine, Massa Marittima, Grosseto Province, Toscany, Italy. ... (Total: 2 Items)

Description

PYRITE
Niccioleta Mine, Massa Marittima, Grosseto Province, Toscany, Italy

Wherever you go in the world, and wherever there is Pyrite, there will be a phrase that translates: "Fools Gold." In Italian, a common phrase is: L'oro degli stolti, which means pretty much the same thing. Italy being a country with plenty of Pyrite localities and a village or two with an oversupply of stolti, it stands to reason that the phrase gets a frequent workout. The better Italian "Fools Gold" locations include the Niccioleta Mine, a Pyrite and Sulfur Mine that was closed around 1984 after producing this brassy bauble. It consists of 9+ sizable Pyrite cubes bearing heavily striated faces and brilliant metallic luster, locked in an interpenetrating jumble of shining faces. Several of the faces are liberally dusted with a second generation of much smaller, but similarly bright, secondary crystals. The largest cube measures a whopping 4.5 inches (12.1 cm) on edge: very large for this locality (and many others, for that matter). The group is in excellent condition with the only bruising to the back and peripheral areas. It is from an old Tuscan collection and has a custom acrylic base
Overall Measurements: 6.69 x 5.70 x 2.36 inches (17.0 x 14.5 x 6.0 cm)

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