Rare Orpiment / Realgar Botryoidal Specimen with Violet Barite Crystals #94

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Rare Orpiment / Realgar Botryoidal Specimen with Violet Barite Crystals #94 Orpiment, Réalgar, Barytine, Calcite are in the category of Sulfide Minerals. Orpiment is a deep colored , orange/ yellow arsenic sulfide mineral found in volcanic fumaroles, low-temperature hydrothermal veins, and hot springs and is formed both by sublimation and as a byproduct of the decay of another arsenic mineral, Realgar. Orpiment takes its name from the Latin auripigmentum (aurum, "gold" + pigmentum, "pigment") because of its deep-yellow color. Orpiment, Réalgar, Barytine, Calcite are in the category of Sulfide Minerals. Orpiment was traded in the Roman Empire and was used as a medicine in China, even though it is very toxic. It has been used as fly poison and to tip arrows with poison. Because of its striking color, it was of interest to alchemists, both in China and the West, searching for a way to make gold. It also has been found in the wall decorations of Tutankhamun's tomb and ancient Egyptian scrolls, and on the walls of the Taj Mahal. For centuries, orpiment was ground down and used as a pigment in painting and for sealing wax, and was even used in ancient China as a correction fluid. It was one of the few clear, bright-yellow pigments available to artists until the 19th century. However, its extreme toxicity and incompatibility with other common pigments, including lead and copper-based substances such as verdigris and azurite, meant that its use as a pigment ended when cadmium yellows, chromium yellows and organic dye-based colors were introduced during the 19th century. Measures approx. 3 3/4" x 3 1/4" x 1 1/4" Origin is Peru Show more