Cinnabar
Cinnabar is a sulfide mineral recognized among collectors for its crystal form and distribution, with known Chinese sources.
About Cinnabar
Cinnabar belongs to the sulfide class in the cinnabar group and has the chemical formula HgS. It crystallizes in the trigonal system and is relatively soft, requiring careful handling. Its combination of structural character and global distribution make it a recognized species in both systematic and aesthetic collections.
Identification & care
Crystals commonly develop as thick tabular to rhombohedral crystals, often twinned; massive, granular, earthy coatings; drusy. Its color range is broad, including vermillion-red, brick-red, brownish-red, and rarely greyish. The luster is adamantine, sub-metallic, dull (earthy), the streak is scarlet to vermillion-red, and specimens range from transparent to translucent (crystals); opaque (massive). The cleavage is perfect on {10-10} (prismatic), three directions. The fracture is uneven, sub-conchoidal, which aids identification.
Collector context
How it forms
In terms of geology, Cinnabar forms in low-temperature hydrothermal deposits associated with volcanic activity or hot springs; often in sedimentary rocks near volcanic centers. It is commonly found in association with realgar, orpiment, mercury (native), stibnite, pyrite, quartz, calcite, dolomite.
Classic Chinese localities
Cinnabar has known Chinese occurrences in Hunan, Guizhou.
Why collectors care
Collectors pursue Cinnabar for the clarity of its crystal form and, in good material, saturated color that reads instantly across a display case. A well-terminated cinnabar on clean matrix photographs well, identifies quickly, and anchors a cabinet piece. Top Chinese specimens over the last two decades have reset the bar for what cinnabar looks like at collector grade.
What affects value
Value in Cinnabar is assessed, in typical order of weight, against: (1) locality provenance; (2) size relative to the species norm; (3) crystal form and termination sharpness; (4) color saturation and zoning; (5) transparency and internal clarity; (6) matrix quality and aesthetic balance; (7) condition (absence of damage, chips, or repair). Cleaning quality and verified locality documentation act as multipliers across the above.
Naming history
The name Cinnabar has a specific etymological and historical context — see Mindat's reference entry for provenance details. We have retained naming data at the record level; published prose is paraphrased from factual fields rather than copied from source.