Fools Gold,  Iron Pyrites,  Iron Sulfide, or Sulfide of Iron

All the same thing and pretty much worthless unless you find a strikingly large cluster that can be sold as an ornamental decoration.

How to Identify fools gold as compared to real gold.

Take a good look at Fools Gold by clicking on the picture   .

	Fools Gold is easy to spot because it has  light-yellow color with a metallic luster or brassy look. Real gold has different appearance and while it is shiny it is not as bright as pyrites but has a luster rather than brightness. Make any sense? It is worth while familiarizing yourself with the difference by comparing the two types of mineral.
	Check for the smell of sulfur. Iron sulfide is 47-percent iron and 53-percent sulfur. This iron-sulfide composition gives off sulfur-dioxide fumes that have a distinct odor (like rotten eggs).
	Use a magnet to spot fool's gold. The iron sulfide in fool's gold will be attracted to the magnet, but pure gold will not. Sulfide of iron has the chemical formula FeS2 and is a brittle solid and will actually shatter, where gold is soft and mallable, but we don't recommend biting it as is sometimes shown in the old western movies.
	Strike a glancing blow  against the pyrite (fool's gold) with rough steel (like an old file). If it is truly pyrite, it will produce a spark. Pure gold is softer and will flatten.
	Look closely at the face of the fool's gold (pyrite) crystal. It is most commonly striated, but it can also develop as coarse granules that are easy to spot.
	Test for fool's gold with a ceramic tile. Scratch a real gold nugget on the tile, and it will leave a yellow-gold streak. If the nugget is fool's gold, it will leave a greenish-black streak.
	Scratch the metal to determine the hardness. Real gold can be cut, but fool's gold has a brittle hardness and a specific gravity of five.
	Compare the shape of the gold. Real gold is most common in nuggets or small sheets while pyrite is most often found in cubes or octahedrons.

to Prospecting for GOLD.

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