TEKTITE — MOLDAVITE FROM LOCENICE
Moldau River Valley, Czech Republic

Arguably the most beautiful of all tektites, moldavite is found in the Moldau River Valley in the Czech Republic. Moldavites first formed nearly 15 million years ago by the asteroid impact that created the 14.5 mile diameter Nördlinger-Ries crater near Stuttgart, Germany. Moldavite is prized for its clarity, shape and green color. There are different varieties of moldavite: each is specific to, and named after, the village near which it is found; it’s character determined in part by the chemistry of the soil in which it landed. Revered as a talisman by Paleolithic humans, worn as pendants in the Middle Ages, delivered by men to their fiancées in the 17th-19th centuries to assure harmony in their marital relations, Moldavite is often cut into gemstones, and uncut specimens are found in museum and private collections throughout the world.

Grooves and crenellations abound in this fine disk-shaped specimen from Locenice (Low-che-nee-che). The softly multihued variations, which range from emerald to tourmaline, result from the variations of density. This is an exquisite natural glass form in radiant green. 42 x 31 x 5mm and 28 grams.

Estimate: $400 - 650