This is a complete slice of a meteorite with extraterrestrial gemstones. Highly translucent olivine and peridot are plentiful and are fixed in a metallic matrix, polished to mirror finish on one side and lightly etched on reverse to reveal crystalline structure of metal. Modern cutting.
8 x 5in. (20.1 x 13.2 x 0.4cm.
10 x 5 x1³⁄₄in. (26 x 13 x 4.5cm.) on stand
365g.

Specified lots are being stored at Crozier Park Royal (details below) or will be removed from Christie’s, 8 King Street, London, SW1Y 6QT by 5.00pm on the day of the sale. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. If the lot has been transferred to Crozier Park Royal, it will be available for collection from 12.00pm on the second business day following the sale. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Crozier Park Royal. All collections from Crozier Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s, 8 King Street, it will be available for collection on any working day (not weekends) from 9.00am to 5.00pm
This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
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This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd

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Lot Essay

Pallasites are widely considered the most beautiful meteorites, and Imilac is among the most coveted. Like all main-group pallasitic meteorites, Imilac originated from the mantle-core boundary of an asteroid that broke apart during the early history of our solar system. The crystals seen here are the result of small chunks of the stony mantle becoming suspended in molten metal near the surface of an asteroid’s iron-nickel core. Cut and polished to a mirror finish, the lustrous metallic matrix features crystals of gleaming olivine and peridot (gem-quality olivine) ranging in hues from amber to emerald. The pallasite designation for this meteorite class is in honor of the German scientist, Peter Pallas, who while traveling through Siberia, examined the first pallasitic mass in the late 18th Century. This is an honor Pallas is fortunate to have received, for he fervently believed that the unusual specimen he found could not possibly have come from outer space.