Judging quality
Genuine slices are strongly magnetic, show a Widmanstätten pattern in the metal after etching, and have olivine in irregular natural shapes. Ask for the meteorite name and classification.
Meteorite
Pallasite Meteorite
The rarest class of meteorite most people ever see: olivine crystals suspended in a nickel-iron matrix, formed at the boundary between the core and mantle of a shattered planetesimal. Cut into slices, the gem olivine glows amber-green in transmitted light.
Care
The metal rusts. Keep in low humidity with silica gel, handle with gloves, and re-oil or re-coat as advised by the dealer.
History & lore
Named for Peter Pallas, who described the Krasnojarsk mass in 1772 — the find that helped convince European science that stones really do fall from the sky.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Pallasite Meteorite
- What is Pallasite Meteorite?
- The rarest class of meteorite most people ever see: olivine crystals suspended in a nickel-iron matrix, formed at the boundary between the core and mantle of a shattered planetesimal. Cut into slices, the gem olivine glows amber-green in transmitted light.
- How hard is Pallasite Meteorite and what is it made of?
- Pallasite Meteorite is a Meteorite-family mineral with the composition Fe-Ni with olivine. It crystallizes in the cubic / orthorhombic system and rates 4-6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in silver, golden, green.
- Where does Pallasite Meteorite come from?
- Notable localities for Pallasite Meteorite include Seymchan, Russia, Imilac, Chile, Esquel, Argentina, Brenham, Kansas, USA.
- How do you tell good Pallasite Meteorite from filler?
- Genuine slices are strongly magnetic, show a Widmanstätten pattern in the metal after etching, and have olivine in irregular natural shapes. Ask for the meteorite name and classification.
- How do you care for Pallasite Meteorite?
- The metal rusts. Keep in low humidity with silica gel, handle with gloves, and re-oil or re-coat as advised by the dealer.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.