{"product_id":"pyrite-sun-flower-1384","title":"Pyrite Sun-Flower (#1384)","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis 3 inch pyrite sun-flower comes from the Conant Mine in Perry County, Illinois, along the same coal belt that runs through nearby Sparta. About 300 million years ago, pyrite crystallized within the Anna Shale just above the Herrin coal seam, roughly 250 feet underground, and the surrounding rock forced it to grow outward rather than upward, producing the flattened, disc shaped clusters known as pyrite suns. For much of the 1900s, miners hand picked these formations as they came up with the coal, often carrying them out in their own lunch buckets to sell to collectors and dealers, a practice that helped make Illinois pyrite suns well known to mineral collectors worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIllinois coal mining peaked in the mid 1900s and has declined sharply since, and modern mechanized mining leaves little room for anyone to hand pick specimens on the way out the door, so each pyrite sun reaching collectors today comes from an already shrinking supply. Pyrite is also traditionally displayed by collectors for its association with abundance and protection, making this a nice addition to a mineral collection or a display shelf.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Prospectors Crystals, Rocks \u0026 Gift Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40502292447350,"sku":"1384-J","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0570\/2860\/8118\/files\/Pyrite-Sun-Flower-pyrite-9-1-min.webp?v=1710019692","url":"https:\/\/prospectorsrocks.com\/products\/pyrite-sun-flower-1384","provider":"Prospectors Crystals, Rocks \u0026 Gift Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}