Fake pyrite concretion?

[www.mindat.org] I can't see how this could have developed into a round sphere without some human assistance!

there are a lot about, from big to small

If the Chinese manufactured it, it will fall apart soon.

Hi Reiner,

I've examined these at the 2010 Tucson Show and they appear completely legitimate to me. I saw several examples that were of poor quality and doubt that one would take the time to manufacture ho-hum specimens. Several major US dealers had examples and I haven't heard of any suspicious commentary. Still, with the increasing propensity to enhance or manufacture specimens one really has to be on alert.


Happy Holidays!
Dana

Hi Reiner. There are a million of these Chinese spherical pyrite concretions on the market, I've seen some as large as bowling balls. Most likely too many to fabricate. In any case, pyrite forms round concretions from many many places. Many form in sedimentary rock that was still soft enough for crystallizing pyrite to form a sphere. In China alone there are numerous locations for spherical crystallized pyrite. Al

From what I have seen pyrite crystallizes either radially in a concretion or in concentric layers. These crosscut the the concretion! Since the vast majority of Chinese are poor, it is probably worth their while to make these. I would like to see a photo of one in situ.

I've seen these by the flat at the warehouse of a very well-known and very legitimate importer/dealer. I assume they are natural, and judging from the prices, reasonably abundant.

As any person who has tried the lapidary arts with pyrite knows it is an extremely messy material to work with. Even though many Chinese are poor I would assume that they would want to get maximum return for their efforts and you surely are not going to get that with pyrite specimens ( and that comment coming from a pyrite collector!),

Most Chinese earn less than $500US per year. I don't know what these fetch in China but here is one for sale on e-bay for $135US. [cgi.ebay.com] Seems to me at that price it would be well worth the effort no matter how dirty a job.

I believe there is no correlation between the price on e-bay and what a person making them in China would get. I'm interested in your ideas on just how these are manufactured.

Looks to me like it is made from a rock with pyrite layers. You simply cut the rock into squares and round the corners on a grinding wheel. Assuming the matrix is softer than the pyrite you would then remove some of the matrix with a wire wheel. No polishing necessary so it would be very easy to do.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2010 05:14PM by Reiner Mielke.

How do you take into consideration the three dimensional surface of the sphere with pyrite xls. sticking out?

Since the matrix is softer than the pyrite the wire would remove the matrix leaving the pyrite sticking out.

Either that or you could get that effect by sandblasting, which is probably the way they would do it considering how much of it is being produced. This would also make then appear more natural since a wire wheel would leave scratches in the matrix.
Not knowing what the matrix is but if it were calcareous you could also accomplish this with acid.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2010 05:32PM by Reiner Mielke.

The ones I have seen are solid pyrite, that is not soft matrix between the layers on pyrite xls. Interest where these poor Chinese obtained sand blasting equipment.

I have one which has no abrasion damage to the pyrite, there are sharp pyrite crystals appearing in bands poking out around the sides of the "egg".

No idea whether it's natural or faked. But some of the suggestions being made here are plainly wrong.

I'm having flashbacks to the hollow Galena thread! >:D<



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2010 06:03PM by Reiner Mielke.

Has anyone seen one in matrix? If these are coming out by the hundreds then there must be a centralized source. I bought a made in China compressor for $99 and a sandblaster for $15, I imagine they are even cheaper in China so it is not unreasonable to assume they can afford a sandblaster. Nevertheless I think it is important to establish if these are natural considering how much is being asked for them and how many there are.

In my humble opinion they are natural.
There are too many, too cheap for me to believe they are fabricated.
I have worked as a jeweler for about fourteen years, and details are my work.
I saw absolutly no "refinishing" anywhere on any of these.
Adam K

If these are being made or enhanced, I don't think the Chinese need much in the way of equipment to make or enhance them. All that would be needed to make the pyrite stick out in a prominent fashion is a stiff wire brush which would remove the black shale and it would not hurt the pyrite. If they were not oval or round concretions to start with, I think a hammer could break them down to what ever size was desired. I suspect they be mostly natural concretions based on the variety of sizes that are available. If they were hammered down from larger blocks of interbeded material I suspect the urge to make other shapes than balls and egg shapes would cause a variety of other shapes to show up on the market.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2010 06:35PM by Rock Currier.