With its high metallic luster and warm, brassy-yellow color, iron pyrite is often better known by its nickname, “fool’s gold.” Commonly mistaken in early America for the real thing, John Smith actually sent home an entire boatload of pyrite thinking he had found gold while searching for a waterway to the Pacific Ocean. If you can’t tell the difference by eye, you can figure out which is which by striking the material with a metal implement. Gold is malleable and deforms under pressure while pyrite - derived from the Greek term for “fire” - produces sparks when struck. This Victorian ring is made in gold and set with fool’s gold.
MATERIALS: 10k gold (tests), iron pyrite
AGE: c. 1890
CONDITION: Very good - FJ maker's mark
SIZE: 5.75, can be resized; 10mm x 7.5mm head, 3.4mm shank