Published September 2016  •  Updated February 2024  •  Read Time: 7 minutes
Peacock Ore is a rough stone with iridescent metallic colors.  It is a naturally-occurring stone whose vibrant appearance is a tarnish, similar to how grey iron rusts into reddish-brown.  The name is purely for marketing purposes, scientifically it can be Chalcopyrite or Bornite.  These two sulfide minerals are closely related and often found in the same deposit.  Most of the Peacock Ore sold on the market is Chalcopyrite which has been artificially tarnished so that the happy-go-lucky colors are uniformly spread across the surface.  Because the tarnishing only happens on the top surface layer of the stone, it cannot be polished, because to do so would remove the colors!

Peacock Ore

Peacock Ore Meaning

Spiritual Healing Properties

Peacock Ore has a very happy-go-lucky energy that can bring more joy into our spiritual practices. It reminds us to not take ourselves, or our spiritual life, too seriously. It whispers to our heart that the Divine wants us to laugh and dance whenever possible. Peacock Ore protects us from negative energy, and helps us to find the people and activities that will help us evolve and awaken. Peacock Ore is linked to Kwan Yin, goddess of compassion, and can be used to evoke her aid. When used in meditation, it can deepen and strengthen our connection to both the earth below us and the vast realms of spirit. Peacock Ore helps us to stay in the present moment and to find peace wherever we are, regardless of the circumstances.

Metaphysical Properties Peacock Ore
Chakra Solar Plexus
Element Earth, Fire
Numerology 2, 4, 9
Zodiac Cancer, Capricorn

Emotional Healing Properties

Peacock Ore has a lively energy, encouraging us to be happy, feel hopeful and be more confident in our own skin. It reminds us to stop and smell the roses and to take time to really ENJOY our life! Peacock Ore is a very good stone to work with when we feel like our hearts and our minds are not united, especially on important topics like our romantic relationships or our livelihood. Peacock Ore helps our heart and mind to talk more clearly with each other and to help us make decisions that will best serve our Highest Good. Peacock Ore encourages us to find practical ways to pursue our dreams and the courage to be open to real love. When we are already in a happy romantic relationship, Peacock Ore inspires us to take it to the next level, to enjoy each other more and be wildly, outrageously happy and in love.

Mental Healing Properties

Peacock Ore sharpens our intellectual capabilities and encourages us to be open to new ideas. Its vibration pulses with “fresh” energy which can be used to reinvigorate the mind when it feels tired. It is particularly good for helping us to see and understand patterns within the larger picture, and to bring all the different details into balance and alignment. Peacock Ore encourages us to always give the highest quality of work in all our endeavors.

Physical Healing Properties

Peacock Ore is recommended for anyone exploring ideas about physical beauty.  It reminds us that the only person whose approval we need is the person looking back at us in the mirror.  This is a wonderful stone for exploring negative beliefs about our body, our manner of dressing, and our gender/sexual presentation.  It reminds us that we are naturally beautiful just the way we are.  Peacock Ore also gives us enthusiastic permission to make changes to our appearance if doing so makes us happier in our own skin.  These changes can include the way we dress, style our hair or put on makeup, as well as tattoos and other more permanent alterations.  Peacock Ore encourages us to be proud of who we are and to show the world the beauty of our body and soul.

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Peacock Ore Mineralogy

Where does Peacock Ore come from?

Peacock Ore is a commercial name that is used to describe both iridescent Bornite and Chalcopyrite.

Major Bornite deposits are in located in Australia (Tasmania), Austria, Canada, Chile, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Peru, and the United States (Arizona, Connecticut, Montana and Utah).

Major Chalcopyrite deposits are located in Australia (Tasmania), Canada, China, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and the United Sates (Arizona, Colorado, and Utah).

Mining and Treatments

Sulfide minerals such as Bornite and Chalcopyrite are ore minerals for valuable metals including Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Copper.  These are often mined in massive open-pit industrial Copper mines, where the ore minerals are crushed and melted to extract the metal.  Occasionally these sulfide minerals may be found in small-scale or artisanal deposits.  Depending on the circumstances, it may be economically worthwhile for the miners to sell the Bornite or Chalcopyrite in their natural form.  If the minerals are tarnished, naturally or artificially, they are then sold under the name “Peacock Ore.”

Peacock Ore Placeholder
Peacock Ore

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Mineral Family

Peacock Ore is an oxidized form of Bornite or Chalcopyrite, both of which are Sulfide minerals in which sulfur has been combined with one or more metals. Sulfide minerals tend to have simple structures and often have a metallic luster. Generally speaking, both will show a brassy yellow color, but natural Bornite tends to display more blue/purple, while natural Chalcopyrite is more likely to show pink and occasionally green.

Its energy works well with its family – other Sulfide minerals.  Try it in combination with Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite

Peacock Ore Formation and Crystal Associates

Bornite and Chalcopyrite are both copper iron sulfide and major ores for native Copper.  Both typically grown in massive forms, with crystals being relatively rare. These minerals are usually formed in hydro-thermal veins in porphyry copper deposits, but can also be found in silica-pour igneous stones and contact metamorphic stones. The minerals gain their color appearance due to oxidation, an elemental reaction between the base copper metal found in Bornite and Chalcopyrite and oxygen in the air.

Its energy works well with its “friends” – crystal associates formed in the same geological environment.  Try it in combination Azurite and Malachite

Why is it only sold as a rough stone?

Peacock Ore’s beautiful colors are caused by oxidation.  The process is virtually identical to reddish-brown rust that appears on iron that is left exposed to the elements.   The tarnish on Peacock Ore occurs only at the surface level, and may be only a few atoms thick! This is so thin, that the colors can be easily buffed away.  This is why Peacock Ore is only found in rough form, never polished.

Mineralogy Peacock Ore (Bornite) Peacock Ore (Chalcopyrite)
Chemical Formula Cu5FeS CuFeS2
Cleavage Poor Distinct
Color Iridescent gold, purple, blue Iridescent gold, purple, blue
Crystal System Tetragonal Tetragonal
Form/Habit Usually massive Tetrahedral
Fracture  Uneven to conchoidal, brittle Uneven, brittle
Hardness – Mohs Scale 3 3.5-4
Luminescence None None
Luster Metallic Metallic
Mineral Family Sulfides Sulfides
Specific Gravity 5.1 4.2
Streak Greyish-black Green-black
Transparency Opaque Opaque

History of Peacock Ore

“Peacock Ore” is a commercial name for iridescent Bornite and Chalcopyrite. Because the term was first used by old miners in Mexico to describe tarnished Bornite, some people believe that “real” Peacock Ore must be Bornite, while the Chalcopyrite variety is “fake.” In reality, both minerals may naturally tarnish in a brilliant display of metallic colors. That being said, the majority of man-made Peacock Ore is created from Chalcopyrite.  It is a relatively “new” stone for the metaphysical community, and so was not included in any ancient or medieval lapidaries, texts which describe gemstones and their powers.

Unsurprisingly, this pretty stone is closely linked to its magnificent namesake. The brightly-colored birds are always male, while the peahen is a much more demure brown. The peacock has been a symbol of royalty and divinity for centuries, as well as a symbol for watchfulness and protection. It is the sacred bird of the Buddhist Bodhisattva, Kwan Yin, also known as the Goddess of Compassion. According to legend, before Kwan Yin left the earth, she created a guardian animal to help usher in world peace. She rubbed her hands on her face, and then called over a large, brown bird and brushed its feathers with her hands, leaving behind a kaleidoscope of colors. The “eyes” on the peacock’s tail feathers are said to evoke Kwan Yin’s “1000 eyes” watching down over us. While the mournful cry of the peacock is a call to the goddess to remember the people and to help us in our time of need.

Beautiful Peacock, Peacock Ore

Additonal References:

  1. Palmer, Martin, Jay Ramsay and Man-Ho Kwok. Kuan Yin: Myths and Prophesies of the Chinese Goddess of Compassion.  (London: Thorson’s Pub., 1995)
  2. Mindat.org, Message Board: Techniques for Collectors, “Turning Copper Pyrite into Peacock Ore,” https://www.mindat.org/mesg-180405.html

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