Admire is a member of the pallasite group of meteorites, widely considered to be the most beautiful otherworldly substance known. While meteorites are among the rarest substances on Earth—all the world’s meteorites weigh less than the world’s annual output of gold—pallasites are more rare still as they represent less than 0.2% of all known meteorites. Pallasites formed at the mantle-core boundary of an asteroid as chunks of stony olivine (a magnesium-rich silicate) settled atop the fringe of the molten iron core and became suspended in the metallic matrix. Gem-quality olivine is the gemstone peridot (birthstone of August) which is present in this specimen. The olivine grains in Admire are somewhat rounded and angular, indicating recrystallization following an impact event in interplanetary space. Originating from the asteroid belt, the first two masses of Admire were ploughed up by a famer in Lyon County, Illinois in 1881.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalog note.