Description

Onyx is a banded variety of Calcite.  The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color except shades of purple, blue and black.  It is used for vases, bowls, beads, cabochons and other items.  This type is found in Mexico and Pakistan and is often carved and polished into various items.  This material is much more readily available and softer than the gemstone commonly called Black Onyx which is a silica gem.

Pyrite, or Iron Pyrite, is an Iron sulfide with isometric Crystals that usually appear as cubes.  It is brittle and can break or powder easily.  Its metallic luster and brass yellow hue have earned it the nickname of “fool’s gold” due to many miners mistaken it for the real thing.  Ironically, small quantities of actual gold are sometimes found in Pyrite.  It is the most common of the sulfide minerals and is usually found with other sulfides or oxides in Quartz veins, sedimentary or metamorphic rocks.