Pyrargyrite - image 1

Pyrargyrite

Unknown Owner
Source volume: 48, issue: 3, PDF page: 91. Label: Figure 176. Pyrargyrite, 5.8 cm, from St. Andreasberg. Smithsonian Institution collection; Rock Currier photo.

Product details

Species
PyrargyriteAbout Pyrargyrite →
Added on10/22/2024
Locality
Germany, Lower Saxony, St Andreasberg Mining DistrictRegional guide →
Publications
  • Mineralogical Record Volume: 48, Issue: 3 page 91

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Pyrargyrite
Mineral guide
Learn about Pyrargyrite
ruby-silver with deep red color in transmitted light, dark reflective surface, and sharp trigonal prisms on matrix; scarce, highly collectible.
Pyrargyrite
Regional guide
Pyrargyrite from St Andreasberg Mining District, Germany
St Andreasberg pyrargyrite is one of the classic signatures of European silver mineral collecting: dark “ruby silver” that often looks almost black in ordinary room light, then suddenly glows cherry- to wine-red when a strong light catches an edge or penetrates a thinner crystal. The best pieces combine razor-sharp trigonal crystals, adamantine-to-metallic luster, steeply striated faces, and the old German silver-mining provenance that serious collectors recognize immediately.