Interiors & Decorations

Jewellery & Precious Stones

Watches, Pens & Lighters

Fashion

Coins & Stamps

Comics & Animation

Classic Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia

Wine, Whisky & Spirits

Asian & Tribal Art

Trading Cards

Toys & Models

Archaeology & Natural History

Sports

Music, Movies & Cameras

Books & Historical Memorabilia

The never-ending discovery of Meteorites, brought to you by {name}

Francesco Moser

This extraordinary slab was made from the iron meteorite Aletai, a celestial body of rare metallic purity, discovered in the desert of the Xinjiang autonomous region in northwestern China. The slab has been carefully cut and polished to highlight one of the most fascinating crystalline structures known in mineralogy: the Widmanstätten pattern. This pattern, unique and unreproducible, forms only in the cores of iron asteroids through a cooling process that lasts millions of years — a process impossible to replicate artificially on Earth.
The Aletai meteorite is named after the eponymous mountain range (Altay Mountains) and was first identified in 1898, but only in the 21st century have some significant discoveries allowed for detailed classification. Today, we know that it is a siderite belonging to group IIIE-an, characterized by high structural stability and a well-balanced content of iron and nickel, with small quantities of phosphides and sulfides sometimes visible as microinclusions.
The visible pattern on this slab is composed of intersecting bands of kamacite and taenite, which alternate to form triangular, blade, and lamella structures, visibly evidence of the internal dynamics of a primordial planetary body. Each section of the meteorite is different from the others, like a fingerprint left in the metal from an unimaginably distant time.

Name: Aletai Meteorite
Type: Siderite (iron meteorite)
Classification: IIIE-an
Composition: Iron, nickel, kamacite, taenite
Origin: Xinjiang Region, China (coordinates 45°52'16"N, 90°30'17"E)
Visible structure: Widmanstätten figures

China

Aletai meteorite +++NO RESERVE+++ - 40.6 g

Minerals & Meteorites

Reserve price

No reserve price

Buy now

Closing date

Sunday

Thursday

Saturday

Monday

Friday

tomorrow

31 March

3 April

Budget

From

Location

Italy

Germany

The Netherlands

France

Spain

Lithuania

United Kingdom

Portugal

Türkiye

Czech Republic

Latvia

Belgium

Poland

Ireland

India

Hong Kong

Austria

Switzerland

Greece

Romania

Singapore

Sweden

Taiwan

Thailand

United States

Dimensions

Height

Width

Depth

Object

Raw mineral

Metaphysical stones

Carved mineral

Meteorite

Amber

Mineral cabochon

Necklace

Nugget

Bracelet

Ring

Pendant

Earrings

Chain

2 piece jewellery set

Block carving

Carbonaceous meteorite

Carving

Collar necklace

Gemstone cabochon

Muonionalusta meteorite

Pallasite meteorite

3 piece jewellery set

Campo del cielo meteorite

Brooch

Necklace with pendant

Country of origin

Brazil

Madagascar

Afghanistan

Ethiopia

Australia

Pakistan

Tanzania

Morocco

Uruguay

Mexico

Myanmar

Russia

Dominican Republic

South Africa

Colombia

Peru

Mozambique

DR Congo

Material

Silver

Lapis Lazuli

Yellow gold

Mineral

Gold-plated

Brass

Stone

Agate

.925 silver

Gender

Unisex

Women

Condition

As new - unused

Natural

Excellent condition - barely used with minimal signs of wear

Enhanced

Excellent condition

Composed

Excellent

Good condition

Hand carved

Cast

Restored

Very good condition - slightly used with small signs of wear

Excellent condition: barely used with minimal signs of wear

Period

Paleogene, Eocene (56 - 33.9 million years)

Paleogene, Oligocene (33.9 - 23.03 million years)

2020+

1990-2000

Neogene, Miocene (23.03 - 5.33 million years)

2020

2025

20th century

Coral

Pearl

Lapis lazuli

Opal

Natural Pearl

Freshwater cultured pearl

Turquoise

Quartz

Ruby

Amethyst

Tourmaline

Aquamarine

Chalcedony

Onyx

Mixed gemstones

Rhodolite

South Sea cultured pearl

Sapphire

Citrine

Peridot

Jade

Moonstone

Diamond

Topaz

Certification

No laboratory report

GEM-TECH Istituto Gemmologico

Gem research Swiss Lab (GRS)

Antwerp Laboratory for Gemstone Testing (ALGT)

Signature

Not signed

Colour

White

Round

Baroque

Faceted cut

Cabochon cut

Oval

Pear

Drop

Oval and Drop

Exact colour

Blue

Green

Violet

Gold

Emerald

Fluorite

Tanzanite

Rock crystal

Shungite

Pyrite

Calcite

Labradorite

Smoky quartz

Minerals & Meteorites

This object is no longer available, but there’s still lots to explore

Aletai meteorite +++NO RESERVE+++ - 40.6 g

Popular in Minerals & Meteorites

5234 objects

Related collections