Pyrite

Pyrite is iron sulphide: two parts iron, one part sulphur, crystallised in cubic structures that catch light like no other common mineral. The name comes from the Greek pyr, fire — strike it against steel and it sparks. The Romans lit their fires with it. Medieval alchemists pursued it with some justification, given its colour and its resistance to corrosion. By the time the Spanish brought it back from the New World, the nickname was already fixed: Fool's Gold, for the way it deceived prospectors who mistook its metallic glint for the real thing. The name stuck, which is a shame — pyrite is worth knowing in its own right.

The tradition keeps it company with fire and earth, with the solar plexus chakra at its centre, and with Leo above the line. The associations cluster around two ideas: abundance and protection. Pyrite is the stone of the front door — kept, worn, placed on a desk — not because it repels anything, but because it asks you to show up for what you want. The tradition's way with it is unhurried: pick it up in the morning, name an intention in plain words, put it back. The metallic flash is a quiet anchor — something to return to when the day pulls in ten directions at once.

It is a hard mineral, resistant and lasting, which makes it well suited to daily wear. Pyrite tarnishes in damp air only very slowly; it holds its shape, and its colour. The tradition seems to have noticed this.

In the catalogue: pyrite in tumbled stones, jewellery, and clusters — pieces for the solar plexus register, for Leo, and for the work of showing up.