This is a superior complete slice of one of the most fabled and historically important of all meteorites. Olivine and peridot are plentiful. One face of this complete slice is polished and the reverse face is etched. The etched surface reveals the crystalline structure of the metallic alloys of the matrix and provides a different yet alluring presentation. A few of the olivine crystals are iridescent. The meteorites entire exterior rim is composed of a thin band of either molten olivine or metal—the result of frictional heating in Earth’s atmosphere following its billions-of-years sojourn through the solar system. Modern cutting.
222 x 203 x 3 mm. (8.75 x 8 x 0.1 in.)

383.4 g. (0.75 lbs.)

Pallasites are widely considered the most beautiful meteorites, and Imilac is among the most coveted. Less than 0.2% of all meteorites are pallasites and, like nearly all pallasitic meteorites (see lot 46 for the one exception), 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 slice was cut was found in the Atacama Desert atop the Andes, the highest desert on Earth. The crystals seen here are the result of small chunks of the asteroid’s stony mantle becoming suspended in molten metal near the surface of its iron-nickel core. The lustrous metallic matrix features crystals of gleaming olivine and peridot (gem-quality olivine crystals) ranging in hue from emerald to amber.

The pallasite designation for this meteorite class is in honor of the German scientist, Peter Simon Pallas, who while travelling through Siberia, examined the first pallasitic mass in the early 1770s; it had been discovered more than two decades earlier (in 1749) by a local blacksmith who had moved it to his workshop. This is an honor Pallas is most fortunate to have received, for he fervently believed that the unusual specimen he found could not possibly have come from outer space. He was mistaken. This specimen, comprised of a spectacular mosaic of sparkling olivine and peridot in a gleaming nickel-iron matrix, is a quintessential example of the most beautiful extraterrestrial substance known.

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 catalogue note.