Marcasite

...is not Marcasite. True Marcasite is very fragile and not suitable for jewelry. So what is it? It’s iron pyrite! It looks just like it though, so the mislabeled name stuck. Oh well.

This mineral ranges in color from a yellow tone to a bright metallic silver - all completely normal. The ageing process may see the stones change slightly in color as well, don’t worry about it too much.

In jewelry, it catches the light giving a great sparkle and shimmer. The stones are usually faceted to amplify this as much as possible. In fact, a lot of the gems are purposefully set crooked to take advantage of this even more.

Marcasite has been featured in jewelry for a very very long time. More notably for us though, especially during the Victorian era on. With it making a comeback in style in the Art Deco period. This has made Marcasite have a long lasting vintage charm, modern pieces can specifically use small marcasites to achieve the vintage look in the modern age.

Care and Cleaning:

Do NOT submerge these pieces in water! Or soapy water for that matter. The stones were commonly set with a water-based epoxy glue, which dissolves very quickly in water with say, dish detergent. Chemicals and ultrasonic cleaners will also damage the stones.

Gosh, what CAN you do? Take a damp cloth, lightly brush it over the surface, pat dry after. The shine should be immediately restored, this stone is very easy to maintain like that.

If a stone DOES fall out, be careful what you use to re-set it! Superglue will dissolve the stone! There is dedicated “jewellry cement” that won’t harm them.

Check out my selection of Marcasite jewelry in the shop!