Iron meteorite, fine octahedrite - IVA, Great Nama Land, Namibia
It requires millions of years for the two major iron-nickel alloys of iron meteorites — kamacite and taenite — to crystallize into the latticework seen…and only about a day or two to cut out the knife blades and circular flats from what was at one time a complete slice of a Gibeon meteorite. The overwhelming majority of meteorites are extremely prosaic, non-descript masses; most people would never think twice about walking past these extraterrestrial interlopers. However, as the crystalline matrix of many iron meteorites entrance, it’s the beauty within that’s celebrated and thus we have slices, obelisks, pyramids, spheres, watch faces, knives, etc. The latticework seen in this partial slice is a choice example of a Gibeon meteorite’s fingerprint — which is precisely why it was selected for the fabrication of the knives. And what was left of this slice after the punches were made is in itself a fascinating specimen of the crystallized core of an asteroid — an abstract form that would be fragile were it not made of what is ostensibly extraterrestrial steel.
147 x 111 x 5mm (5.75 x 4.33 x 0.1 in.) and 138.9 grams (0.33 lbs)
