Pyrite with Calcite

This specimen is Pyrite with Calcite from Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, measuring 55 x 50 x 25 mm and weighing 62 g. It is drawn from the David Vince Collection. Pyrite, iron sulphide, is readily recognised by its brassy metallic lustre and cubic crystal habit, and occurs at Broken Hill as a minor but genuine component of the orebody's sulphide assemblage. Here it is accompanied by Calcite, a calcium carbonate that commonly acts as a late-stage gangue or host mineral rather than forming the principal mineralisation itself. The pairing of a well-known metallic sulphide with the common carbonate so frequently found growing alongside it is a typical association within Broken Hill's oxidised and near-surface mineral suite. At 55 x 50 x 25 mm and 62 g, the specimen is a compact cabinet piece. Pyrite can be prone to slow surface oxidation, sometimes called pyrite decay, in humid conditions, so a dry, stable display environment is advisable to preserve its lustre over time. The specimen's documented provenance is the David Vince Collection.