Libyan Desert Glass & Ethiopian Welo Opal Pendant in Sterling Silver

  
This beautiful, handcrafted pendant features a rare and authentic piece of Libyan desert glass, lovingly wrapped in solid Sterling silver wire. The wire was then oxidized naturally with egg yolk to bring out the texture of the weave, then hand-polished to an aged finish. Faceted Ethiopian welo opals, set in delicate herringbone weaves emit pops of blue and green fire as the pendant turns in the light.

This stone was not cut, so as to retain all it's natural features and properties. Wavy ripples span the entire surface; a by-product of centuries of natural sand-blasting. You can still see grains of sand, tiny air bubbles and small particles meteorite? The entire pendant measures 42x28x18mm (1.7" x 1.1" x 0.7") and comes suspended on an 18" Sterling silver chain. Since each piece of desert glass is unique, with distinct shape/color/texture, this pendant is one-of-a-kind so there won't ever be another like it.

The origins of Libyan desert glass remains hotly debated by the scientific community. However, the most predominant theory proposes a meteoritic origins (making this a tektite, or meteorite impactite).

In other words, this glass was formed by the impact of a comet or meteorite. The heat from such an event would have flash-molten the desert sands, vaporizing quartz (the major constituent of sand) and meteoritic metals.

Note the presence of tiny air bubble inclusions suspended within the stone, and wavy surface textures which are the result of rapid cooling. Libyan desert glass is similar in makeup and composition to trinitite, a glassy substance formed by the detonation of the plutonium-based nuclear bomb (Trinity) test on the desert floor in New Mexico. Libyan desert glass has been dated to an age of approximately 26 million years.

To learn more about Libyan Desert Glass, I highly recommend the BBC documentary, "Tutankhamun's Fireball", which can usually be found on YouTube. This piece comes in a luxurious, black velvet jeweler's box, contained in a cardboard outer shell (so you can wrap the box without damaging the velvet); perfect for gift-giving. This is an heirloom-quality piece you can treasure for many years to come. Coins in photo are shown for scale and will not be included with this item.

Comes with a signed certificate of authenticity, filled in and signed by the artist; photo of the piece and materials are listed on the reverse side of the card.