pyrite
Deceptive yellow mineral
Pyrite is a brass-yellow mineral, iron sulfide, commonly called fool's gold for its resemblance to the precious metal.
The similarity has fooled hopeful prospectors, making pyrite a symbol of worthless imitation: All that glitters is not gold—sometimes it's pyrite.
Despite its nickname, pyrite has industrial uses and appears in jewelry.
Two-sulfur chemical linkage
- marcasitePale bronze iron sulfide
- sulfurYellow combustible element
- ironElement twenty-six
- crystallineClear, ordered, brilliant
metallic luster · brassy · isometric · stratiform · ore · galena · cinnabar · sulfide
Iron sulfide mineral
- counterfeitFraudulent imitation
- fakeNot the real thing
- imitationCopy of the original
- replicaFaithful scaled reproduction
phony · ersatz · sham · misleading · lookalike · simulacrum · substitute · pseudo
Emit or reflect light
- glimmerFaint, wavering light
- gleamFaint reflected light
- sparkleEmit flashing light
- sheenSoft surface luster
gloss · radiance · glint · shimmer · golden · brassy · metallic · glittering
Formed from deposited material
- metamorphicUndergoing structural change
- igneousFormed from cooled magma
- quartzCrystalline silicon dioxide
- geodeCrystal-lined rock cavity
strata · fossilization · mineralogy · petrology · silicate · mining · crystallography · specimen
disulfide
Two-sulfur chemical linkage
crystalline · metallic luster · brassy · isometric · stratiform · ore · galena · cinnabar · sulfide
fool's gold
Iron sulfide mineral
- counterfeitFraudulent imitation
- fakeNot the real thing
- imitationCopy of the original
replica · phony · ersatz · sham · misleading · lookalike · simulacrum · substitute · pseudo · mockery
shine
Emit or reflect light
sheen · gloss · radiance · glint · shimmer · golden · brassy · metallic · glittering · iridescent
sedimentary
Formed from deposited material
- metamorphicUndergoing structural change
- igneousFormed from cooled magma
- quartzCrystalline silicon dioxide
geode · strata · fossilization · mineralogy · petrology · silicate · mining · crystallography · specimen · outcrop
gold rush
Mass migration seeking ore
claim · strike · assay · placer · mother lode · bonanza · disappointment · greenhorn · miner · pickaxe
- ore mineralsgalena, hematite, marcasite, siderite, cinnabar
- earth science stuffrocks, minerals, fossils, soil, sand
- ironiron ore, iron bar, pig iron, cast iron, sheet iron
- mineralsquartz, marble, granite, limestone, sandstone
- rocks & mineralscrystal, quartz, amethyst, diamond, ruby
- crystalsquartz, amethyst, diamond, citrine, rose quartz
pyritegold
Element seventy-nine
the real thing · precious metal · platinum · diamond · authentic
- iron pyriteBrassy sulfide mineral