ID 737570
Lot 81 | TRANSITIONAL SEYMCHAN END PIECE
Estimate value
£ 10 000 – 15 000
Representing only about 0.2% of all known meteorites, pallasites are widely considered the most beautiful extraterrestrial substance known. Like all pallasitic meteorites, Seymchan originated from the mantle-core boundary of an asteroid that broke apart following a cataclysmic collision. The crystals seen here are the result of small chunks of an asteroid’s stony mantle becoming suspended in molten metal derived from the core. Cut and polished, the lustrous metallic matrix features crystals of gleaming olivine and peridot (gem-quality olivine) ranging in hues from emerald to amber. It was in the 1960s that the first masses of Seymchan were found in a streambed in Siberia. Identified as meteorites, they were named Seymchan for a nearby town. Unlike most pallasites, the dispersion of olivine crystals in Seymchan can be varied. The example now offered boasts an aesthetic array of olivine and its gem-quality counterpart, peridot, the birthstone of August.
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.
370 mm x 170 mm x 20 mm (141/2 x 62/3 x 3/4 in.)
2.5kg.
| Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 8 King Street, St. James's SW1Y 6QT London United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Preview |
| |
| Phone | +44 (0)20 7839 9060 | |
| Buyer Premium | see on Website | |
| Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase |








