The Olivier Pendant - NWA 14041
Pendants Center Stone: A Lunar Meteorite - this is a real piece of the Moon that was ejected by a meteorite impact on the Moon and then landed on Earth as a meteorite. This lunar meteorite is classified as a Feldspathic Lunar Breccia.
Pendant Setting and chain: .925 Sterling Silver
Description: A unique handcrafted Lunar Meteorite Pendant with center stone fashioned from a piece of the Moon. Made from the beautiful lunar meteorite NWA 14041 and set in Sterling Silver. 20" Sterling Silver necklace is included.
Dimensions not including bail: Approximately 26mm x 25mm x 5mm
Dimensions including bail: Approximately 41mm x 25mm x 7mm
Official name: NWA 14041
Type: Lunar Feldspathic Breccia
Year Found: 2021
Country: Mali
Parent body: The Moon - this material was ejected from our only natural satellite when the Moon was hit by another meteorite. It should be noted that we do not know exactly which crater this lunar meteorite was ejected from. The name "Olivier" which is an officially named crater located in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the moon, was chosen as the name of this pendant as a unique artistic expression, and does not reflect the actual crater formed when this particular lunar meteorite was ejected from the surface of the Moon.
This beautiful moon pendant has been hand crafted and assembled in the US by AZ based artisan Josh Eisler. Each pendant has a unique center stone and it is a completely unique part of the Moon. No two pendants are exactly alike. The center stone for this ring was ejected from the Moon and recovered in Mali by camel shepherds in 2021. The center stone has been free-hand shaped to find the best qualities in each area of the stone, and making every piece totally unique. The pendant is set in .925 Sterling Silver.
The story: Our Moon takes a lot of hits. This is evidenced by the millions of craters that cover the moons surface. Thankfully the bombardments have slowed down considerably in the last few hundred thousand years, but they still do occur from time to time. Lunar meteorites are material ejected from our Moons surface when it gets hit by a meteorite. If the impact has enough energy, some of the ejecta gets thrown so far it escapes the Moons gravity becoming meteoroids hurtling through space. Some of those lunar meteoroids have the potential to eventually fall into Earths gravity well and go screaming through the atmosphere to hit the surface. Once they hit the Earths surface, they earn the designation of being a meteorite. Much later, perhaps thousands of years later, an even smaller fraction of the meteorites that didnt fall into the oceans or onto unrecoverable terrain, are recovered by nomads and others who happen to find them. Nothing short of miraculous odds. To describe them as rare, is perhaps an understatement.
Northwest Africa 14041 (NWA 14041)
Mali
Purchased: 2021 Feb
Classification: Lunar meteorite (feldspathic breccia)
History: Found in Mali by camel shepherds in January 2021 and subsequently purchased in Algeria by Ahmed Salek.
Petrography: (A. Irving, UWS and P. Carpenter, WUSL) Breccia composed of mineral clasts of anorthite, olivine, low-Ca pyroxene, pigeonite, exsolved pigeonite and minor Ti-chromite set in a fine grained matrix containing minor secondary calcite and a K-Ca-bearing zeolite phase.
Geochemistry: Olivine (Fa 29.0-51.5, FeO/MnO = 99-102, N = 4), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs 23.3Wo 3.7, FeO/MnO = 60), pigeonite (Fs 32.6-68.1Wo 8.7-19.5, FeO/MnO = 52-75, N = 4), pigeonite host (Fs 42.0Wo 10.4, FeO/MnO = 66), augite exsolution lamella (Fs 22.1Wo 40.6, FeO/MnO = 71), anorthite (An 90.8-96.0Or 0.1, N = 3).
Classification: Lunar (feldspathic breccia).
Specimens: 23.6 g in the form of a polished endcut at UWB; remainder with Mr. A. Salek.
