Looking for meteorite help

Jewelry Discussion
1

I need a small but nice slice of meteorite to make a pendant (as a gift
from a client who has terminal cancer to his wife). The budget is modest.
Where do you recommend I shop for this?

Also, she wants to wear it 24/7, even in the shower. I read the
recommendations from some years ago to use Renaissance wax. I assume wax
would need to be re-applied at intervals, yes? What about coatings such as
Boeshield or Ultralac? Anything else?

Thanks for any help or advice!
Noël

2

Hi Noel,
Ted here, in Dorset UK.
I was blessed with an aviation training, so anything to do with flight or space etc still interests me.
IF, I had your request, without any previous experience, in this space borne material, I would have to do a lot of research,

  1. as to the many different types of meteorite material
    2.who in the scientific world collects them.
  2. where do they operate
  3. and who might have some for sale.
  4. a good local to you rock hound who has the diamond
    slabbing cutting and polishing gear.
    Thats just to start with.
  5. you can do all your research on line
    2 and 3,Meteors are primarily looked for and found on snow plains in Iceland, Greenland and Antartica, by official search teams or by survey staff on their days off. driving around on skidoo’s.
    4.The said private individual people.
    the provenance is the key.
    There will be lots of on offer that are not space borne,
    ie fakes.
    As to material, there generally iron or nickel,silica based.
    Iridium ones are rare.
    the estimated 15km dia that crashed into the bay of Mexico
    supposedly killing off the dinasors, area was largely composed of heavy metals and iridium. the geological record proves this.
    As to protecting it in 24/7 use, wax, laquer etc are only temporary. so you need to choose one that has a high polish without any post slabbing applied tratment.
    Then theres the mounting, how do you proposes this? silver? gold?
    then a good chain that will take years of wear?
    Cant be done on the cheap. Just my 2pence worth.
    Look forward to hearing what your solution will be and how you did it.
    Best.
    Ted.
3

I have seen meteorites for sale on my astronomy forum, <cloudynights.com>. You can search the ads there to see if anyone has an outstanding ad for one and even submit a “Wanted” ad. Of course, I’d try ebay too, as everything seems to be for sale there.

4

somehow the email address for the cloudy nights astronomy forum seems to have been edited out of my post just now. Just search for cloudy nights and you will find it.

5

There are quite a few meteorites on eBay. There are some pretty reputable dealers there. I’ve purchased from Geoff Notkin’s eBay store and been well pleased. A quick post to him should tell you all you want to know about proper care and feeding. I use Ren wax on mine but haven’t used them for jewelry at this point. I make knives.

6

I make rings and pendants with small nickel-iron meteorite bits, and I found the mother lode of meteorite collectors on eBay. You can find all types, sizes, and price points there. Lurk around there for a while.

7

IMCA Insights – The Munich Show | Meteorite Times Magazine I saw a lot of nice meteorites in Munich. This might help you to find a reliable dealer. But nice ones are not cheap, say from 30 - 100 dollars or euros for a slice to make jewellery out of.
If you put an edge around it, like around a coin, it would not be a problem to wear, otherwise use some metal laquer.

8

Noel,I made several pieces with meteorite bezel set. The first, I didn’t seal and it got rusty. The next ones I used a sealant (Nikolas 2105 spray lacquer - clear, for brass insruments) and they were fine. I still have a sealed one here that I haven’t sold (4 years old and no rust). I still have a couple of slices left. About a 2 years ago I bought the anticlastic bracelet set for hydraulic press from you. If you still have my info (email), you can contact me and I can send photos of the meteorite slices. They are very hard material and take a long time to cut with standard jeweler’s saw. I’m not sure if you can get my contact info through the forum.
Donna in FL

9

Rare Earth Mining has meteorite http://rareearthminingco.com/inventory/pairs?from=loose-gemstones