Pallasite – PMG; Fukang, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (44° 26'N, 87° 38'E)

Pallasites are not only rare, representing about 0.2% of all known meteorites, they are also widely considered the most dazzling otherworldly substance — and samples of Fukang are among the most coveted. Recovered in China’s Gobi Desert, Fukang contains some of the largest and most translucent crystals of any pallasite. This is a portion of the mantle-core boundary of an asteroid that broke apart following a catastrophic collision with another asteroid. Crystals of olivine and peridot (gem-quality olivine) from the mantle are suspended in an iron-nickel matrix derived from the asteroid’s molten core.

The term pallasite is in honor of the German scientist, Peter Pallas, who while traveling through Siberia, examined the first pallasitic mass in the early 1770s. This is an honor Pallas is fortunate to have received, for he was dubious that the unusual specimen he examined came from outer space — but he lived at a time when most scientists did not believe rocks could fall out of the sky.

Enhancing Fukang’s allure, this specimen is cut and polished to a mirror finish on three faces which provides a three-dimensional perspective of a choice sample of the most beautiful extraterrestrial substance known. Modern cutting and polishing.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.

127 x 112 x 74mm (5 x 4.5 x 3 in.) and 1.870 kg (4 lbs)