We found a bunch of baryte recently when we were exploring a new location in a favourite area. We are trying to stay farther away from any areas of outstanding natural beauty or from any SSSI sites. We are always careful, but lately we have cast the rock hunting net wider and farther from protected sites. We want to keep ourselves right in the eyes of the law and within our own standards of ethical rock collection.
 
to this end, we explored a bunch of new areas within our wide reaching, south-of-Scotland location. During our last outing on Sunday past, we discovered a little eroded pile which contained loads of baryte.
 
Baryte looks like calcite upon first glance. We thought that's what this was. If you follow us on TikTok you can hear Katriona saying so in the video. But when you pick baryte up it is so much heavier than calcite or quartz that you know it is different.
 
So now we have barite in stocke! We know nothing about it, so let's learn together.
 
Gemmy barite is related to anglesite and celestite. This stuff is not gemmy but is opaque. If you live in the UK or Europe, you know this as Baryte. If you live in America, it is Barite. It is the main source of Barium. Barium is a soft metallic substance which you can only find as a compound in other natural substances. It is used in X-rays, making glass, and in a number of industrial processes.
 
A quick search to see what crystal healers use barite for gives mixed results. Some say it is good for the third eye, but we think they might be envisioning the gemmy version. With the extra weight in barite, we think it best suits the root chakra and grounding purposes. Other sites say it helps against irregularities and draws out toxins from the bloodstream. 
 
What do we know? It's a heavy metal containing mineral so please don't lick it.