ORPIMENT BARITE
An Orpiment Barite Mineral Specimen. This one has a glowing vibrant orange colour with white Barite Crystals jutting out. In days of yore this mineral was used for colour pigment.
Location:
Palomo Mine, Andes, Peru.
Dimensions:
8.7cm x 9.3cm x 4.8cm, 443g.
ORPIMENT As2S3, Arsenic Sulfide.
A major ore of arsenic, formerly used for pigments, firework colouring agent and as mineral specimens.
Orpiment named from the latin word auripigmentum or golden pigment. Over time, orpiment will deteriorate into a powder. The process takes a long time and but exposure to light will accelerate it. Specimens should be stored in dark, enclosed containers.
Health Risks
Contains Arsenic, always wash hands after handling container. Like don’t touch it and don’t blow the dust off it as you don’t want to inhale the dust. This one is like the pretty looking spider.
Barite: BaSO4.
Also known as Baryte. Named after the Greek word for weight, which is considerable for a non metallic material. A very nice specimen 🙂 and not so easy to find lately.