Impactites, Tektites and Natural Glass For Sale

This natural glass known as Agni Manitite (also referred to as “Pearl of the Divine Fire” or “Fire Pearls”) come from the island of Java in Indonesia. Agni is Sanskrit for “fire” and the name of the god of fire of Hinduism. In Indian religions, fire is one of five inert impermanent elements, the other four being space, water, air, and earth. Translations for “mani” in ancient Sanskrit are closest to the English word for “jewel.” Agni Manitite specimens vary in size but are characterized by the delicate grooves that cover their surface. In his book titled “Agni Mani: Magic Gem from the Moon,” purported to be non-fiction, Baron Richard J.H. de Touche-Skadding writes that Agni Manitites were presented to Winston Churchill, Lord Louis Mountbatten, and Queen (then Princess) Elizabeth in the 1940s with hopes that they would be blessed with their legendary good fortune. Some believe Agni Manitites are a rare form of obsidian that were created during volcanic activity.

Atacamaties are found in a region of Chile. They are tiny, little jets of glass jetted from the white-hot furnace of an massive collision of a giant asteroid with our very own planet Earth. According to a well written article on Meteorite Times Magazine, "These jetting rivulets of fire were seldom larger than half the diameter of a pencil. Reportedly, they are found over an area of some 20 square kilometers, so they must’ve been truly high-pressure squirts. Picture a viscous spray of orange-yellow-white molten glass streaking from the unthinkable place where the kinetic energy of a massive body moving at tens of kilometers per second met an immovable object (earth) and flashed at an instant into shock waves and heat radiating outward at velocities greatly exceeding the speed of sound!" - Author: Jim Tobin

A Bicolite tektite is a type of Indochinite from the Philippines. They are dark green glasses formed by a giant, historic meteorite impact that blemished Indochina 700,000 years ago and, hence, created Indochinites: a famous pedigree of impactites. The amazing specimens offered here were once hot, molten globs which launched nearly 1,500 miles from the original impact site in Indochina – about equal to the vertical length of the United States! Those hot globs landed in Bicol and are thus appropriately named Bicolites. Their signature, distinctive “bread crust” texture on their exterior are an usual characteristic formed by natural weathering. They have fascinating shapes and the use of one’s imagination have proven to generate resemblances of objects, animals, and even faces. In modern times, Indochinites are often revered for their metaphysical properties and use in meditation as crystals that bring good luck and are used for manifesting.

Bicolite For Sale

Darwin Glass impactite is a natural material formed by the catastrophic heat released from an ancient meteorite impact, believed to have occurred ~800,000 years ago on the island of Tasmania. Situated inside a national park, the overgrown crater lies deep within swamps and jungle and is regarded as one of the least-visited impact sites in the world. Darwin Glass displays unusual shapes and colors, some translucency, and is very rarely seen on the collectors’ market.

Darwin Glass For Sale

Indochinites — Relics of a 700,000 year old impact The word “Indochinite” is used to describe a family of black, often shiny tektites that are found in a large area encompassing Indochina, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Tektites are the result of an ancient and extremely massive meteorite impact estimated to have taken place about 700,000 years ago. The heat and pressure of that impact caused molten blobs of magma to be flung up into the air. Some of those pieces traveled thousands of miles before falling back to Earth, not unlike smaller versions of the meteorite that formed them. Many tektites have interesting round or drop-like shapes, which may have been a result of spinning or ablating in the air while still partially molten.

Indochinite For Sale

Libyan Desert Glass is a rare and beautiful impact glass, found in only one remote location on Earth, near the Libyan/Egyptian border in the Great Sand Sea. It is associated with an ancient meteorite impact which arrived in the form of an airburst. Quality specimens are translucent, and also display pseudo regmaglypts, possibly caused by wind erosion, or by ablation when molten fragments were thrown into the air following impact. Please note the  amazing size and deep coloration of the extremely rare green Libyan Glass. High quality Libyan Desert Glass specimens are graded by their clarity, shape and color. The ancient pectoral pictured at left belonged to Tutankhamun, and the yellow scarab is carved from Libyan Desert Glass, giving this striking meteoritic material a unique link to Egypt and to humanity’s distant past.

Libyan Desert Glass For Sale

Genuine Moldavite tektites are luminous green glasses formed 14.5 million years ago by the impact of a giant meteorite that created the 15-mile wide Ries Crater in Germany. The Moldavites were blasted some 200 to 400 kilometers, all the way to the modern-day Czech Republic. Mining and popularity has dramatically depleted the supply of this exquisite glass. Moldavite has a hardness rating of 5.5, and the glasses are often faceted for use in jewelry. When cut and polished, the deep green color of most Moldavite pieces is reminiscent of emeralds and peridot. We are an international meteorite company and pride ourselves in being a reputable authentic Moldavite tektite dealer.

Moldavite For Sale

Muong Nong tektites, or layered tektites, typically come from the Indochinite strewnfield. The indochinite strewnfield spans across Southeast Asia. This type of tektite includes some of the largest known tektites, reaching sizes of up to 10.8 kilograms. It is believed that Moung Nong tektites formed from molten glass that flowed over itself repeatedly, forming thin sheets. Muong Nong tektites are often described as chunky in form, and have a layered and dry appearance. Because Muong Nong tektites did not enter the atmosphere like other tektites, they do not have aerodynamic shapes and most are much larger that splash form glasses, for example. Some collection pieces of Muong Nong tektite are catalogued with hand-painted numbers.

Muong Nong Tektite For Sale

Dr. Nininger created the American Meteorite Laboratory, opened the world’s first independent meteorite museum on Route 66 near Meteor Crater, and was a founding member of the Meteoritical Society. During the 1950s, Dr. Nininger and his wife Addie, journeyed to Vietnam and worked with local landowners to assemble a remarkable collection of tektites. This expedition is well documented in his book Find a Falling Star. Each specimen was meticulously labeled, one at a time, by hand. The larger pieces received a hand painted number, while the smaller ones were cataloged using a small number written on tape, and then affixed to the specimen. Some of the specimens offered on this page are likely visible on the table in the photo from Find a Falling Star. These specimens were received via institutional trade from one of the world’s foremost meteorite research collections. Some pieces are also accompanied by handwritten paper notes in Nininger’s own hand. This is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire a very affordable specimen with an original number from the research collection of one of the most important figures in the history of meteoritics.  

Nininger Tektites For Sale

Saffordite: The Lavender Enigma of the Arizona Desert Emerging from the sun-scorched deserts in Arizona, the Saffordite—often whispered of in metaphysical circles as the legendary Cintamani stone—is one intriguing natural glass. Often described as a cosmic gift in Hindu and Buddhist lore, the Cintamani Stone—the legendary 'wish-fulfilling jewel'—is said to have been delivered in a celestial chest to Shambhala's 'King of the World' and later to King Lha Thothori Nyantsen of Tibet. Found in only one specific region, these stones are prized for their "hidden" beauty. While they may appear dark and opaque on the surface, holding a high-quality Saffordite to the light reveals a breathtaking, translucent interior of lovely lavender and smoky-violet hues. Many specimens even display intricate internal banding, a testament to the complex cooling process of this rare material. Despite decades of collecting, the original geological source of these stones remains a total mystery; they are often found scattered across the desert, likely transported many miles by ancient waterways over countless ages. Geological Reality: Beyond the Tektite Myth As professional meteorite dealers, we believe in the importance of scientific accuracy alongside the natural allure of our specimens. While Saffordites are frequently marketed as "Saffordite Tektites" or "Arizona Tektites," they are not actually of meteoritic origin. Scientifically, Saffordites have been found to be members of the obsidian glass family, representing thought formation by ancient, high-silica volcanic activity rather than by celestial impact. Whether you are a collector seeking a rare "Cintamani Stone" for its storied metaphysical properties or a gem enthusiast drawn to its beautiful lavender translucency, the Saffordite remains a highly-treasured gift fit for kings.

Thailand tektites are found primarily in Thailand. They are part of the Indochinite strewnfield that encompasses large parts of Southeast Asia. The exact location of the impact that produced these tektites remains unknown. Thailand tektites are dark, fine glasses, and typically take aerodynamic forms. These forms include dumbbells, teardrops, rods, and spheres. Tektites take these shapes when they’re ejected into the atmosphere and fall, cooling and solidifying as they spin. The surfaces of Thailand tektites are rich and textured, representing moments frozen in time of their once-molten state.

Vietnam tektites are dark glasses and part of the Indochinite strewnfield. Vietnam tektites take a variety of shapes, having been thrown up into the atmosphere before falling once again to Earth. They range in size from small specimens of only a few grams to larger pieces of several hundred. Tektites are still not thoroughly understood, and scientific debate on how they achieved their many intricate shapes is ongoing. Vietnam tektites are rarer than other tektites, owing to the smaller amount of recovered specimens.

Vietnam Tektite For Sale

A rare sand impact site in a now inaccessible region of the Saudi Arabian desert, the Wabar crater field is one of the most elusive and mysterious impact sites on Earth. The world’s only known sand crater of significant size, the Wabar crater field was produced when a IIIAB iron meteorite weighing many tons impacted the Earth. It’s possible this event occurred in 1863, though some estimates state it could have happened thousands of years earlier. The heat and pressure generated by the impact formed a diverse and remarkable collection of Wabar Impactites, including exquisite black glass spheres known as Wabar Pearls. These also include pieces of the strange Wabar Oxidized Iron, a weathered iron meteorite fragment, and the Wabar Iron in its unaltered state! The Wabar crater is one of about fifteen craters on Earth from which we have recovered meteorite fragments. An interesting anecdote about the site was reported to our colleagues — some of the iron fragments from Wabar appear “popped.” This phenomenon is thought to be caused by high temperatures and pressures at impact, causing the iron to oxidize rapidly and give the Wabar Oxidized Irons the classic “weathered” appearance, which typically indicates they have been on Earth a substantial amount of time. This was the first time we had heard of this anomaly; if you have further knowledge about the topic, we invite you to let us know. What we want to know is this: how is it we see well-preserved irons and weathered irons at the same impact site? Puzzling! The site is infamously inaccessible and has only been visited a few times in history. Average temperatures in summer can reach a blistering 140°F (60°C). Shifting sands in the region have filled in the craters in over time and they are now nearly obliterated. First discovered in 1932, differing reports place the number of craters between three and five. Political events in the Middle East have also made the area extremely dangerous and we have been advised by local experts that it is now impossible to reach. As such, we are extremely fortunate to be able to offer this rare and beautiful material.

Wabar Impactites For Sale