What is marcasite?

What is marcasite?
General information about marcasite:
Marcasite is a very attractivecrystal gemun very similar to pyrite and often mistaken as pyrite.
It was named after an Arabic or Moorish name gemonly used to describe pyriteandmetallic bronzedminerals in 1845.
Itis an opaquewhite brassy yellow when fresh and begees a shinydark grey to black,with brass yellow hues through light green to dark green.Some say that is can have brown tones to it.
Often faceted in small rose cuts and used alone or to enchance other gemstones.
Usuallyfound on silver jewelry.
Hardness: 6 to 6 1/2
This mineral deteriorates easily due to it's chemical mixture and can cause enough heat in it's natural habitat, to cook an egg.
This is why it must be tarnished to protect it from air exposure.
It is found almost worlwide, which makes it affordable to consumers.
This was a very popular stone in the Victorian era and still is today. This is why marcasite can often be found on antique jewelry settings.
This mysterious stone is thought to rid of negative energy, improve one's gemunication skills, and protect from danger.