African Moldavite

[Kristi]

I was recently asked about African Moldavite. I did not have a clue. When I am unsure about some new "finds" out there, I go to Mindat.org to get the most accurate information I can. Mindat.org is filled with geologists, scientists and rock hounds, so it is the perfect place to go looking for facts. Below are some of the posts that are discussing "African" Moldavite.

"I did a quick Internet search, and the vast majority listed African Moldavite as a fake. Their opinion was that it was bottle glass (from bottles themselves or the raw blanks of glass) or some form of obsidian. There was also the opinion that only samples from the Czech and Moravian regions could truly called Moldavite. If there are samples of tektites from Africa, they might be similar but unlikely to come from the same strike and shouldn't have that name."

"Paul is right. Moldavite is not found in Africa. Other tektites are found in Africa, but not Moldavite, nor have I heard of any other AUTHENTIC green tektites being found in Africa."

"Moldavites are usually classified as tektites (a glass produced by meteorite impacts). Glasses produced from volcanic rocks are more properly called obsidian. Africa has a long history of man made glasses (Egyptians were doing that 5000 years ago)."

http://www.mindat.org

with love and crystal blessings,
Kristi

[Cole]

i've heard that there are now fakes from japan that look ridiculously close to the real thing
http://meteorite-identification.com/eba ... ite07.html

i've recently bought a piece well over 100 dollars from a website called http://www.arkadiancollection.com
their moldavites are extremely bright green, and i was excited at first, but knowing about all the forgeries out there, i'm a little worried.
They talk about how all their moldavites are taken to a temple and go through an unlocking of the energies, but the pieces are so bright green it looks a little unnatural. I hope i'm wrong, because i would love to have a natural bright piece of moldavite.
what do you think?

[Spiral]

Hey Cole,

Fake Moldavite have been in circulation for many years now. Most sources say the fakes are made using pouring molds, so their appearance will look like a Moldavite, especially if the mold's have been made from natural pieces.

From a mailing list I read, a man commented that he knows a miner of Moldavite and he'd told him "even the most experienced Moldavite miner cannot distinguish the fakes". Apparently the fakes have been created as an identical replica. A suggestion was to get the index of refraction tested through a jeweler/gem dealer. Moldavite's refraction index is slightly lower than glass. I don't know if this is an avenue you'd want to pursue.

The following is from the same mailing list from 2007.

The mining productivity suddenly went dry after years of mining. The miners in Czechoslovakia now hold onto everything they have left and the extremely limited finds they now make. What has been seen in the market the last couple of years is either the last of the stock "on hand" or fakes.

Inevitable when you think about it. Czechoslovakia is pretty much the sole source of Moldavite.

Another comment was if the colour is too uniform, too lime in colour or the surface markings too uniform, it could be a fake. I'm not sure if this is a good indication or not. Personally, I haven't seen a bright Moldavite. I've only seen Moldavite in varying shades of olive green. Another suggested looking for surface 'bubbles' that may occur within the mold when the glass cools.

If you're really torn in two over this Cole, you could sit with it and see what you feel. From what you've written on HC, you're very in tune with energy. You could also email the folk where you got it and ask them a few questions to get a better identification of the piece. I think for the price you've paid, you deserve to know.

IMO, the words 'Metaphysical' or 'New Age' tend to drive prices up and unfortunately are a target of fakes and 'new discoveries'. It's definitely worthwhile to stay with a source you trust when buying minerals/gemstones/crystals.

That's my 5 cents worth (we don't have 1 or 2 cent coins here!) lol

Blessings & Love,
T

[Kristi]

Hey Cole,
The "Poison Green" Moldavite pictured.....my gut says is probably not totally natural. I have purchased crystals for years and have never heard of or seen any such thing. You would think someone out there would have some pieces for sale, besides this company if it was real. But, sometimes a picture is misleading, so....

I have sent off some inquiries to real geologists/crystal collectors/rock gurus It will be interesting to see what they say. I will definitely post it here when I get a response.

I think it is also important to know that Moldavite does not come from outer space AS Moldavite, so those who call it "extraterrestrial" are not exactly accurate. I did quite a bit of research on Moldavite when I first purchased it and this is what I found-- Moldavite is classified as a tektite, but contrary to popular beliefs, it does not come from outer space (In other words, it is not part of a meteor or comet) . Instead, it is a green glass product of soil vitrification (melting) from a meteorite strike, meaning it is terrestrial (earth) in nature and when a meteor hits, the heat causes the earth material and meteoric materials to melt and blend, forming these little green beauties.

Of course, as with ALL things.....take what resonates and leave the rest The above explanation works for me, but may not for other folks and that is perfectly ok

I agree with Spiral- you have a wonderful ability to "feel" your crystals. I would highly suggest sitting down with this Moldavite and seeing what it has to say In the meantime, I will continue to research and ask around

with love and crystal blessings,
Kristi

[Kristi]

Good Morning!

Alrighty......here is the update from the "Poison Green" Moldavite debate Yes, I seemed to have stirred up the mindat scientific community once again
There are those that have in fact seen the color in question. There are others that adamantly deny its existance, in fact they swear the picture in question is photoshopped.

However, I have had a wonderful email conversation with Jacob, the owner of the site where you got the Moldavite from, Cole, and he has assured me that the Moldavite in question, is indeed authentic.

I suppose you could have it geologically tested, but I feel this man's integrity and honesty is true. He feels that this is exactly as described, including the color.

With that being said, I do feel that you will find the answers when working personally with the piece And really, in this case, that is all that matters

Please do keep us posted on your conversations with it, ok??

with love and crystal blessings,
Kristi

[Cole]

Haha i just got an email from the website that makes me feel a lot better as well.

"Hi there,

Thanks for your enquiry and have no fear, our Moldavite is 100% authentic. Although our stock ships from the U.S. we are based in Europe and I personally travel to the Czech Republic every few months for the past 10 years to get the Moldavite directly from the source. We not only stand by our Moldavite but all of our gemstones and refuse to use treated or synthetic stones of any kind. We use professional lighting to light the stones as they are photographed. Feel free to test any of our products with a gemologist.

Best wishes,

Katy Sawyer"

that is definitely reassuring and as soon as it comes, i will definitely be doing lots of meditation.

[Kristi]

Hey Cole,
Yes, that is Jacob's wife and after receiving an email from Jabob, I can say that they are truly a very nice couple who love what they do. He sent me a picture of the green Moldavite in question (seems the picture I looked at on the website was saturated from posting and reposting and not in true color, which led me to believe it was fake) and it really is very lovely. I will not post it here publicly since I have yet to ask permission, but if anyone wants to view it on a strictly personal level, I will be happy to email it to you. Just email a request to me.

He also shared a link that discusses the contents of Moldavite which mentions Nitrogen content as a possible reason for the brighter "Poison Green" Color. I am sharing it here for anyone who would like to take a look:

http://www.geology.cz/portal/pls/portal/PORTAL.wwsbr_imt_services.GenericView?p_docname=110051.PDF&p_type=DOC&p_viewservice=VAHWSTH&p_searchstring=

I cannot wait to hear what you receive from the stone itself Cole!

with love and crystal blessings,
Kristi