[meteorite-list] Moldavites on eBay

From: mark ford <markf_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Dec 12 04:15:11 2005
Message-ID: <6CE3EEEFE92F4B4085B0E086B2941B3145B463_at_s-southern01.s-southern.com>

>>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


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Received on Mon 12 Dec 2005 04:15:37 AM PST