Stony Iron. Pallasite (PAL) Atacama Desert, Chile

Pallasites are widely considered the most beautiful meteorites, and as a result of its unusually robust crystals, Imilac is among the most coveted. Less than 0.2% of all meteorites are pallasites and, like other pallasites, Imilac originated from the mantle-core boundary of an asteroid that broke apart during the early history of our solar system. The meteorite from which this section was cut was found in the Atacama Desert atop the Andes, the oldest and highest desert on Earth as well as one of the driest regions in the world. The crystals seen here are the result of small chunks of the asteroid’s stony mantle becoming suspended in molten metal near the top of its iron-nickel core. The lustrous metallic matrix features crystals of gleaming olivine and peridot (gem-quality olivine crystals) ranging in amber hues.

Suspended in a polished metallic matrix from the asteroid’s core, highly refractive olivine and peridot crystals are plentiful in this section with four cut and polished faces. The meteorite’s exterior surface is seen on the reverse. This is an intriguing representation of the most bedazzling extraterrestrial substance known. Modern cutting.

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.


60 x 49 x 29mm (2.33 x 2 x 1 in.) and 185.9g (0.4 lbs)