Judging quality
Adamantine to dull red with a scarlet streak and notable heft. Twinned crystals are common. Realgar is more orange and light-sensitive.
Sulfide
Cinnabar
Mercury sulfide, and the most saturated natural red in the mineral kingdom. Chinese crystals on white dolomite are the specimens collectors want; the massive ore was the world's source of mercury and of vermilion pigment.
Care
Contains mercury. Handle specimens minimally, wash hands afterwards, keep sealed away from children, and never work, cut or heat it.
History & lore
Vermilion made from ground cinnabar colored Pompeian frescoes, Chinese lacquer and Renaissance panel painting until synthetic pigments replaced it.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Cinnabar
- What is Cinnabar?
- Mercury sulfide, and the most saturated natural red in the mineral kingdom. Chinese crystals on white dolomite are the specimens collectors want; the massive ore was the world's source of mercury and of vermilion pigment.
- How hard is Cinnabar and what is it made of?
- Cinnabar is a Sulfide-family mineral with the composition HgS. It crystallizes in the trigonal system and rates 2-2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in red, pink-red.
- Where does Cinnabar come from?
- Notable localities for Cinnabar include Almadén, Spain, Hunan & Guizhou, China, California, USA, Peru.
- How do you tell good Cinnabar from filler?
- Adamantine to dull red with a scarlet streak and notable heft. Twinned crystals are common. Realgar is more orange and light-sensitive.
- How do you care for Cinnabar?
- Contains mercury. Handle specimens minimally, wash hands afterwards, keep sealed away from children, and never work, cut or heat it.
Related stones
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.