Chalcopyrite is a brassy-gold copper iron sulfide. Most of the rainbow blue-purple 'peacock ore' sold today is chalcopyrite or bornite whose colors were put on with acid. The film is thin and can wear off. Natural peacock tarnish belongs to bornite.
Sulfide
Chalcopyrite
Calcopirita
- Palette
- Yellow Brown Purple Blue Multicolor
- Mined in
- Canada, Australia, United States, Peru, China, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Spain
- Hardness
- Mohs 3.5–4.0 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- 1747
- Named for
- Greek chalkos (copper) and pyrites (striking fire)
- Also sold as
- peacock ore, peacock copper, yellow copper, copper pyrite, brassy copper iron sulfide
- Intention
- Abundance
- Looking for
- Prosperity
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Plain chalcopyrite is usually sold natural. Bright blue, purple, or rainbow 'peacock' beads are often colored by an added surface layer, so ask the seller.
Not in our pieces now
2.95 BILLION TONNES
Estimated ore reserves at Olympic Dam in South Australia, a chalcopyrite mine, are 2.95 billion tonnes grading 1.2% copper.
0.5-2% COPPER
Chalcopyrite ore as mined holds only 0.5 to 2% copper; flotation lifts the concentrate to about 30%.
1,250 °C
Smelters melt chalcopyrite concentrate in a furnace at about 1,250 °C to make a copper-rich matte.
What it is
Chalcopyrite is a brassy-gold copper iron sulfide, heavier and softer than it looks. Most of the rainbow blue-purple 'peacock ore' sold as beads and specimens is chalcopyrite or bornite whose color has been produced by dipping it in acid, which leaves only a thin surface film. Natural peacock tarnish belongs to bornite.
What gives it its color
Chalcopyrite is naturally brassy yellow with a purplish tarnish, and the bright blue, purple and rainbow 'peacock' beads are usually made with an acid bath.
Where it comes from
Chalcopyrite is a common copper ore found in many countries, including Canada, Australia, Mexico, Peru, China, England and the United States.
In history
Chalcopyrite has been the main ore of copper since smelting began more than five thousand years ago, and it is still the most abundant copper ore. Its brassy yellow once earned it the old name 'yellow copper', and big mines such as Olympic Dam in South Australia still work it today.
What's said about it
The books we use do not profile it, so we have no crystal lore to report. As a stone, it is the main copper ore, mined for the metal people have traded for thousands of years.
The nickname 'peacock stone' is old. In parts of Italy it was given to eye-marked malachite worn in silver against the evil eye.
It suits a shelf or desk better than daily wear: it is soft and should be kept dry.
How people wear or keep it: On a shelf or desk, in a display box, or in a pocket pouch, kept dry.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, chalcopyrite is paired with the crown chakra, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on a shelf or desk, in a display box, in a pocket pouch, kept dry. People reach for it when they want prosperity, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraCrown
ZodiacCapricorn
Also calledpeacock ore, peacock copper, yellow copper
Care
- Soft: keep it away from harder stones and hard knocks.
- Keep it dry and away from perfume, sweat and cleaners. The rainbow film on acid-tarnished stock is only on the surface and can wear or buff off.
- Wash your hands after handling raw pieces and do not put it in your mouth; copper minerals are not for eating or breathing as dust.
- Store it in its own pouch and wipe only with a dry soft cloth.
How to tell what you have
- Chalcopyrite is brassy yellow with a greenish-black streak; it is often confused with pyrite and gold. It is softer than pyrite (about 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale) and brittle, unlike gold.
- Rainbow or 'peacock ore' beads may be bornite or chalcopyrite with natural tarnish, or a coating; check whether color wears off the edges.
Rules and sourcing
Bright blue, purple or rainbow peacock beads are often colored by an added surface layer. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose a coating.
Questions people ask at our table
Is peacock ore natural?
The mineral is natural, but the rainbow color usually is not. Dealers tarnish brassy chalcopyrite with acid to imitate bornite, the copper mineral that tarnishes blue and purple on its own. Most peacock ore at shops and shows is the acid-tarnished kind.
Is peacock ore chalcopyrite or bornite?
Both are sold under that name, so it is a trade label rather than one mineral. Fresh chalcopyrite is bright yellow-gold and stays that way unless it is tarnished, while bornite starts brown-copper and slowly turns purple and blue.
Will the colors fade?
On acid-tarnished pieces the color film is only on the surface, so handling, water and polishing can wear it down. A color that has gone dull is usually not a defect, just the film wearing off.
Do you carry chalcopyrite?
No. Golden tiger eye and bronzite are the stones in our pieces with a similar metallic gold-brown look.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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