Chalcopyrite with Quartz

Mundo Nuevo Mine, Peru

Meet Chalcopyrite, builder of empires! Chalcopyrite has been a vital source for copper production in Eastern Europe and Anatolia around 5,500 BCE, allowing for the metal alloy bronze to be created and kicking off the Bronze Age around 3,300 BCE in Asia, the Near East, and Europe.

Chalcopyrite is a brassy-yellow mineral that can take on iridescent hues through weathering, and can be easily confused with gold and pyrite to the untrained eye.

This specimen displays classic crystallized Chalcopyrite with Quartz prisms. The brassy Chalcopyrites are large (up to 1.25 inches), complex, and in very fine condition. From Mundo Nuevo Mine, Peru.