Marcasite Jewellery dates back to the ancient Greeks, although it was the Victorians who really popularised it. Made from small pieces of pyrite gemstones set into sterling silver, marcasite jewellery is designed to have a dull, faded charm, as even though the silver tarnishes, the pyrite gemstones continue to shine creating a softer, kinder sparkle. Even newly made marcasite jewellery has a certain antique look about it!
Marcasite is especially suited to a vintage look and commonly used in Art Deco style designs or to make jewellery that mimicks natural forms (dragonflies and flowers were particular favourites with the Victorians).
There is a mineral called marcasite, but interestingly this is not what is used in Marcasite Jewellery as it is too fragile and tends to crumble when worked, Instead Marcasite Jewellery is made from the chemically similar pyrite or fool's gold. Depending on how it is cut and the quality of the stone, this has a colour somewhere between bronze and gunmetal, with an iridescent shine. This gives Marcasite Jewellery its characteristic warm, vintage feel (we call it sepia tinted jewellery!).
Some costume jewellery is made from stainless steel as a cheaper alternative, although the pyrite chips tend to be glued rather than set into the metal making them more fragile and easier to fall off.
Marcasite jewellery can be quite fragile and you are recommended not to use ultrasonic cleaners or chemical dips to clean it. Most of the time it can just be cleaned with a damp cloth - since it is not meant to be a highly reflective, shiny piece of jewellery it does not matter too much if the sterling silver tarnishes a little bit. When the tarnish gets too much, you can just gently polish it with a silver polishing cloth to restore its look.
If you like the sound of it, come and see our Marcasite Jewellery collection here.
