$10,995.00
- Meteorite Blade: Muonionalusta Iron Meteorite
- Handle: Dyed cross-cut Mammoth Tusk and Shattuckite
- Sheath: Exotic Leather
- Additional Information: All knife sales are final, no returns accepted. Buyer may exchange for equal or higher valued knives only, and within 10 days of purchase. No partial refunds. Stands are for photography purposes only, please inquire if you are interested in separate purchase.
1 in stock
Description
A custom-crafted knife truly like no other. The blade is Muonionalusta meteorite, found in Sweden in 1906. It was found to be an iron; the structure of iron meteorites is determined by two nickel-iron alloys — taenite and kamacite. As a result of very slow cooling in space, these alloys typically form into a complex interlocking crystalline motif known as the Widmanstätten Pattern, named after Count Alois von Beckh Widmanstätten who recorded the phenomenon while experimenting with iron meteorites during the 19th Century. Widmanstätten Patterns are typically visible only after iron meteorites have been carefully prepared in the laboratory by cutting and polishing, followed by etching of the cut surfaces with a volatile solution of alcohol and nitric acid.
Muonionalusta meteorites are incredibly hard to come by; the fall site lies north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden and the meteorites found there are so ancient their fall pre-dates at least one ice age (scientists believe Muonionalusta is approximately 4.6 billion years old). Long-vanished rivers of ice carried meteorites with them for a time, but left the heavy irons behind as they melted, mixing them in with a flotsam and jetsam of mismatched transported rocks known to geologists as terminal moraine. Having been casually “dumped” by retreating ice, the locations and depths at which Muonionalusta meteorites are buried are, therefore, completely random.
The blade extends directly under the finger guard, where it has been welded to steel. The handle has been constructed out of high-end dinosaur gembone, one of the most rare and beautiful fossils in the world. After millions of years of being buried, the original organic material in dinosaur bone is replaced with minerals like quartz and chalcedony. Like many meteorites, gembone’s allure is most apparent when it’s been cut and polished, allowing its unique colors and patterns to shine.
The knife handle is accented by dyed cross-cut mammoth tusk and highlighted by a rare copper silicate mineral called shattuckite. It often has an alluring blue coloration, as seen here. The knife is finished with fine details like a stainless steel guard and bolsters.
Additional information
| Weight | 11000 g |
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