Barita Azul
Barita is a mineral with formula BaSO₄, in the Sulfatos group. This specimen comes from Los Templarios, Portman, Cartagena, Región de Murcia, España and joined the Terrium collection in 2024.
Description
Aerial thumbnail of blue barite with its intact and ordered spearhead-shaped tabular crystals
History of this specimen
None of this pieces are from San Jorge, but from Los Templarios. This historical error starts from the very first find circulating under that wrong commercial label, which has remained unchanged ever since. Consequently, any trained eye instantly identifies these distinctive blue barites as "the San Jorge pieces," even though they actually aren't. This specimen comes from the batch that a team of field collectors from La Unión and Orihuela called «3J's» extracted in 2025, repeating the exact same pattern from years ago with a very similar lot: they are labeled as San Jorge, but their true origin is Templarios. This particualr piece has a bigger cousin ID (0649) from mina Haití.
About Barita
While baryte (barium sulfate) is prized for its diverse color palette, its blue crystals—considerably rarer and highly aesthetic—make it one of the most sought-after varieties of the species.
About the locality
Mineral collecting sometimes navigates deliberately opaque provenances. Portmán is part of the Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Unión, a historic district of world renown that is deeply tied to flamenco culture, where great occasional finds are still being made in old, abandoned shafts and galleries. In this environment, the exact locality is rarely transparent. Driven by market pressure and the hypothetical value of the pieces, vague labels are frequently used, real deposits are hidden, or entryways are even collapsed after extraction. This specimen comes from Los Templarios, in the Portmán area, despite this variety of blue barite usually being circulated under much vaguer references or camouflaged under other names.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0648
- Composition
- BaSO₄
- Name
- Barita
- Variety
- Azul
- Group
- Sulfatos
- Category
- Meritum Persé
- Mine
- Los Templarios
- District / Municipality
- Portman
- Province
- Cartagena
- Region
- Región de Murcia
- Country
- España
- Size (cm)
- 4 x 4 x 1.5
- Weight
- 55.4 g
- Acquired
- 2024
- Etymology
- In Greek, "barys" means heavy, and baryte is remarkably dense. Hence its name.
- Quality
- Top
- Value trend
- Estable
Related specimens
- Abellaíta — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Aerenita — España
- Aerinita (fibrosa) — España
- Analcima — España
- Analcima — España