Stibnite is antimony sulfide, a soft lead-gray mineral that grows in shiny metallic blades. Antimony is toxic, so this is a specimen for a closed case, not for beads. Do not handle dust from it, and wash your hands after touching it.
Sulfide
Stibnite
Estibnita
- Palette
- Gray Black
- Mined in
- China, Romania, Japan, Germany, Peru, United States
- Hardness
- Mohs 2.0 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- 1832
- Named for
- Greek stibi, via Latin stibium, the old name for antimony
- Also sold as
- antimonite, antimony glance, antimony sulfide
- Intention
- Strength
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Stibnite is a natural metallic mineral sold as found; no dye or coating is reported. It contains antimony, so it is a handle-with-care stone.
Not in our pieces now
1,000 POUNDS
The largest stibnite specimen on public display as of 2007 weighed 1,000 pounds, at the American Museum of Natural History.
60 CM
The largest single stibnite crystals on record measured about 60 by 5 by 5 centimeters.
550 °C
Stibnite melts at only 550 °C.
What it is
Lead-gray blades and sprays of crystals with a bright metallic shine that tarnishes darker or iridescent. It is a very soft ore of antimony, kept as a collector specimen and not cut into beads.
What gives it its color
Stibnite is a metallic antimony sulfide, lead-gray when fresh, and it can tarnish black or iridescent in air.
Where it comes from
The world's largest antimony deposit, the Xikuangshan mine in Hunan, China, is also the source of fine stibnite crystals. Russia, Tajikistan, Myanmar and Australia also produce antimony from it, and the Romans once mined it in Dacia.
In history
Powdered stibnite was used as the dark eye cosmetic kohl from about 3000 BC, and kohl itself has been worn in Egypt since about 3100 BC. The Romans reportedly used stibnite from Dacia to make colorless glass, and the 17th-century alchemist George Starkey wrote about it.
What's said about it
Around the ancient Mediterranean, pastes of antimony sulfide were used as eye paint, called kohl, from about 5,000 years ago. That is a history of use, not a lore of the stone.
The best-known mines are in China. We do not carry it.
How people wear or keep it: In a closed display case, or on a high shelf away from children.
In crystal practice
Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: in a closed display case, on a high shelf away from children. 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.
ZodiacCapricorn, Scorpio
ElementEarth
Also calledantimonite, antimony glance, antimony sulfide
Care
- Do not handle dust or crumbs from it, and wash your hands after touching a specimen, because antimony is toxic.
- It is not suitable for beads or any jewelry worn against the skin or put near the mouth.
- It is very soft, about Mohs 2, and the blades snap easily, so keep it in a closed display box or case.
- Keep it away from children and pets, and do not rinse it down a drain.
How to tell what you have
- Stibnite is lead-grey with a bright metallic shine, tarnishes dark or rainbow, and is very soft (hardness 2), so a fingernail or knife marks it.
- It forms long needle-like blades and is heavy for its size (density about 4.6).
- Hematite and pyrite beads are harder and do not mark easily.
Questions people ask at our table
What is stibnite?
It is antimony sulfide, a soft gray mineral that grows in shiny metallic blades. It is the main ore people mine for antimony.
Is it safe to wear or handle?
No, it is not a bead stone. Antimony is toxic if swallowed, so do not handle dust, wash your hands after touching a specimen and keep it away from children.
Was it really used as eye makeup?
Pastes of antimony sulfide were used as kohl in the ancient Mediterranean from about 3000 BC. We mention it as history only, and we would not suggest putting it on skin today.
How is it different from galena?
Both are gray metallic sulfides that collectors keep as specimens. Stibnite is lighter and softer and grows in long blades, while galena makes heavy cubes of lead sulfide.
Where does it come from?
China is the best-known source, with Romania, Japan, Germany and Peru also producing collector crystals.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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