Baryte and Marcasite (polished)

Item Description

These pieces date back to the 2010s, and are completely unique in the mineral world. I can't remember seeing anything like them from another locality. What's most intriguing is that they are from a copper mine in western Poland. Essentially, this piece is a polished slice of what formed as a "ball" or radiating aggregate of cream to tan colored semi-amorphous Baryte, which was later coated by a secondary layer of coppery-colored Baryte and then finished off with a coating of metallic iridescent Marcasite. When these specimens are uncut, they simply look like spherical groups of Marcasite, but the beautiful internal Baryte is a pleasant surprise. It's almost like cracking open a geode, as the center of every one of these "balls" will yield a slightly different formation. Additionally, the lighter colored Baryte in these specimens will actually fluoresce a bright whitish-green color under SW UV light. This piece is a less common "cap" which means it has a complete outer crystallization of Marcasite on the reverse side. Very cool, and unlike anything I can remember seeing from any locality.