NWA 16684 Lunar Meteorite Necklace
Jewelry Made of the Moon
Auction Closed
July 16, 06:46 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 9,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
NWA 16684 Lunar Meteorite Necklace — Jewelry Made of the Moon
Lunar – feldspathic breccia
Mali
Necklace consisting of 50 lunar spheres, each 9.20 mm (⅜ inch) in diameter, weighing 67.7 grams (.15 lb) inclusive of strand, 18k gold clasp, and 49 18k gold spacers. Necklace length: 22⅛ inches (56.2 cm).
A NECKLACE MADE OF THE MOON
This necklace offers its owner the incredible opportunity to wear the Moon. Crafting a sphere from any stone — much less from a lunar meteorite — is a skillful endeavor requiring the efforts of a master artisan with cutting-edge equipment. In this case, the artisan had to painstakingly craft 50 separate spheres from NWA 16684, a feldspathic breccia consisting principally of plagioclase, olivine, and pyroxene minerals.
Lunar material is some of the rarest material to exist on our planet — only 1,536 kilograms (3,386 lb) of confirmed lunar meteorites currently exist on Earth. And, while six of the Apollo missions brought back 382 kilograms (842 lb) of so-called "Moon rocks" from their combined voyages, these samples of the Moon are unavailable for private ownership. As a result, any piece of lunar material — and certainly a necklace made up of 50 separate lunar spheres — is exceedingly rare and highly sought after.
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