Pallasite

What pallasite actually is

The species behind pallasite is a stony-iron meteorite: gem olivine crystals suspended in a nickel-iron matrix, thought to form at the core-mantle boundary of a differentiated asteroid, Olivine (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 in kamacite-taenite Fe-Ni, with troilite and schreibersite; it forms in the aggregate system.

Fe2+ in the olivine gives the honey to olive green; backlit slices are the classic presentation is responsible for the colour — and the chromophore, not the name, is what decides whether a colour is stable.

On the instruments it reads a refractive index of 1.65-1.69 (olivine) and a specific gravity of about 4.50-4.90, with olivine has poor cleavage; the metal has none cleavage.

Where pallasite comes from

Commercial material comes from Esquel, Chubut, Argentina - the benchmark for gem-quality olivine, Imilac, Atacama Desert, Chile, Seymchan, Magadan Oblast, Russia (the main commercial supply), Brenham, Kiowa County, Kansas, USA and Fukang, Xinjiang, China; Brahin, Belarus.

Different localities give different colour and different clarity, and the trade prices them differently. We state which one.

How pallasite is treated

Cut, polished, etched and usually stabilised or sealed, since the metal rusts and desert-find material is chloride-contaminated. LEGAL: Argentina and Chile restrict meteorite export (Esquel and Imilac material leaving without permits is illegal and Chilean customs have seized Atacama meteorites); Russian export of Seymchan is licensed. Mesosiderites are the other stony-iron class - a breccia of silicate and metal, without the gem olivine, and much cheaper. Faked with olivine or glass set into cut steel.

We state the treatment on every stone, including when the honest answer is that it cannot be determined. A treatment disclosed is a fact; a treatment discovered later is a refund.

What pallasite is confused with

Watch for Mesosiderite (the other stony-iron type), Manufactured composites of peridot in steel and Slag with entrained crystals — these are what turn up sold under this name.

The separation is rarely a matter of opinion: refractive index 1.65-1.69 (olivine) and specific gravity 4.50-4.90 settle most of it in a minute, and magnification settles the rest.

What pallasite is used for

The trades that buy pallasite are mineral collecting, jewellery and decorative objects. They do not want the same thing, and they do not pay in the same unit.

We quote each application in the unit that trade actually buys in, by the specimen, by the carat or by the piece.

Durability and care

Pallasite is 4-5 metal, 6.5-7 olivine on the Mohs scale, with olivine has poor cleavage; the metal has none cleavage.

Below about 5.5 a stone will be scratched by ordinary household dust, which is largely quartz. That does not make it unusable — it makes it a pendant, an earring or an object rather than a ring worn every day.

Warm water, mild soap and a soft brush. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners on anything fracture-filled, stabilised, dyed or visibly included.

What pallasite costs

Expect roughly $15-60 per gram for Seymchan slices; $50-300 per gram for gem-grade Esquel and Imilac; jewellery-grade translucent olivine higher, depending on quality.

That is a range, not a quote. Colour, size, clarity, cut and origin move the figure a long way inside it, and the only honest price is one given against a specific stone. Send us what you need and we will price it.

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