Pyrite

This ex. matrix, rather tarnished Pyrite crystal is an old time specimen from Virtuous Lady mine at Buckland Monachorum close to Tavistock in Devon, England. It was certainly collected a long time ago, evident from the three accompanying labels, all bearing the number 1258 with this number also glued to the specimen. One of these labels is torn (neatly) in to two, but each part joins well and it could be taped together if desired. Save for Krantz of Bonn, there is no other provenance. The Pyrite cube averages 1.4 cm on edge and do please take note the surfaces are crazed with cracks. However, the crystal does seem to be completely stable and there is no sign whatsoever of pyrite decay.