[meteorite-list] Moldavites on eBay

[mark ford]

>>Tracy said 
>> or just tumbled chunks of beer bottles..

Shhhh your giving away the secret! :)

Joking apart, I have to agree, after going through a tray of
'Moldavites' at a local gem shop myself, not only does the colour vary
drastically, but they even seemed to vary in weight! - so I guess some
may not even be glass!!

I'm afraid this makes me wonder about all the 'desert glasses' just too
easy for fraudsters to copy imho.

Best
Mark



-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of tracy
latimer
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 7:29 AM
To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Subject: [meteorite-list] Moldavites on eBay

After hearing about fake moldavites coming out of China, I nosed around
eBay 
for a bit, and boy!  I have never seen so many misnamed, misrepresented,
and 
just plain wrong pieces of glass and rock called moldavite.  I bought a
lump 
of raw moldavite and a couple of faceted ones 4 or 5 years ago when I
first 
started collecting meteorites, and I am glad I did, because I'd estimate
at 
least 80% of what is out there right now is NOT moldavite (tsavorite,
green 
quartz, or just tumbled chunks of beer bottles).  Since when is
moldavite 
glow-in-the-dark green??  I am horrified.  The few that look like real 
moldavite are either overpriced, or the sellers have terms that frighten
me 
as a buyer (pay exclusively with Western Union transfer to unknowns in 
eastern Europe, a notorious way to kiss your money goodby).

I know some of the danger signs, but I feel sorry for people who buy one
of 
these mystery rocks and get burned.

Tracy Latimer


______________________________________________
Meteorite-list mailing list
Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list