Moldavite

Moldavite is not a mineral - it's a natural glass formed approximately 14.7 million years ago when a large asteroid struck what is now the Ries crater in southern Germany. The impact's energy was so enormous that it melted surface rocks and ejected molten material high into the atmosphere. This molten glass cooled and solidified as it fell back to Earth, landing hundreds of kilometers away in what is now the Czech Republic.

The distinctive sculpted, wrinkled surface texture (called sculpturing) formed through two processes: aerodynamic shaping during flight through the atmosphere, and chemical etching by soil acids during the millions of years moldavite spent buried in sedimentary deposits.

Moldavite is found only in a limited area of the Czech Republic - nowhere else on Earth. The total supply is finite and diminishing as deposits are worked out. This genuine scarcity, combined with a social media-driven popularity surge in 2020-2022, pushed prices to historically high levels. The market has since cooled somewhat, but moldavite remains one of the most counterfeited stones in the crystal world.

Genuine moldavite has a distinctive wrinkled, sculpted surface texture that's difficult to replicate convincingly. The color ranges from forest green to olive green, and pieces are typically translucent when held up to light. Inside, you may see elongated bubbles (lechatelierite - fused quartz tubes) and flow structures - these are diagnostic.

At hardness 5.5, moldavite can be scratched by quartz but not by a knife. It feels lighter than you'd expect for glass (SG 2.35, lower than window glass at 2.5). Genuine moldavite always has some surface texture - perfectly smooth, polished pieces have been worked and should be priced accordingly.