Pyrite on Matrix

Although maligned as "fool's gold" since the early 19th century, pyrite is in fact highly coveted by collectors who prize its complex and lustrous cubic crystals that form both alone and in association with other minerals. The famous pyrite deposits of Navajún — from which this specimen originates — have been worked since at least 300 B.C.E., when the local inhabitants prized the perfect golden cubes for their purported magical powers.