Pyrite Crystals Nugget Strand | 21x18x12 to 14x14x14mm | Silver Gold | 25 Beads|Silver Gold Pyrite Nugget Pendant Bead Strand for Jewelry Making. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass yellow hue give it a superficial resemblance to gold, hence the well known nickname of fool's gold. The color has also led to the nicknames brass, brazzle, and Brazil, primarily used to refer to pyrite found in coal. The name pyrite is derived from the Greek (pyrits lithos), "stone or mineral which strikes fire",[9] in turn from (pyr), "fire".[10]