Bringing luster back to pyrite

I need some help getting my Pyrite to shine. I pulled about 20 cubes each about 1/2 of a centimeter in size from some mine tailings in the Dugway Mountains in Tooele County and I tried to get it to shine with CLR, but nothing happened. I also tryed a diluted bath of HCl, but that only made it duller! If anyone has some good ideas, let me know!!!

Patric,
Shiny pyrite exposed to the elements for a few years becomes oxidized and dull. I know of no way to bring back the shine other than by grinding away the dull surface and polishing it with standard lapidary procedures. In this case I fear there is no magic wand to make all your dreams come true.
Rock

Try buffing them with a dremel tool and the appropriate buffing wheel attachment used with a polishing compound. I did that a few weeks ago to polish some brass and it actually worked rather well. It took a while, but the shine was restored. I'm thinking it may work well with pyrite too.

Hello!

You can remove stains from Pyrite with 5% HCl,but this will not make your Pyrite more lustrous.You cannot make a crystal more lustrous than it already is,you can just clean face impurities to reveal the luster.

If you need less natural and more beautiful specimens,Erica is right!You'll need to polish them.Erica's way works and similarly works a sand pistol.


Good Luck.!

-Kostas.