Stone Mania

(Often incorrectly spelt as moldovite)

Scientists estimate that about 14.8 million years ago in a place which is now known as the Czech Republic, a meteorite shower fell in the Moldau Valley and the result was moldavite, a rare translucent crystal of bottle green colour.

It is believed that moldavite is from the family of 'glassy objects' called tektites, which are still not fully understood. They are irregularly and at times intricately shaped nodules and blobs of a glassy substance, which commonly contain small bubbles.  They have no crystal structure and are therefore similar to obsidian (volcanic glass) but are not associated with volcanic processes.  The chemistry of moldavite is unique and somewhat unexplained, it is believed they were formed as a result of an impact of a meteor with layers of rock on the Earth's surface.  Upon impact they cooled quickly sometimes taking on patterns of the material on which they landed.

Moldavite is especially prized for its clarity and unique green colour.  It is generally agreed that it is either an extraterrestrial meteoric material of unknown origin or the resulting splash from a meteoric impact.  One NASA scientist who has spent much of his life studying tektites, believes he has evidence that moldavite is the by product of a volcano on the moon, however the most dramatic theory is that it was produced as a result of the explosion of an earth like planet in the asteroid belt.

Each of these theories presents scientific problems that have yet to be explained.  The inability of science to resolve the issues with one conclusive explanation of the true origins of moldavite causes it to remain a great mystery.  It is known that stone age man found and used moldavite as tools and later it was also valued as a talisman.  In legend it is associated with the fabled 'Stone of the Holy Grail' which was said to be an emerald that fell from the sky out of the crown of an angel.  Exposure to the 'Stone of the Grail' was said to quicken one's spiritual evolution.

Moldavite is rare and among one of the most powerful gemstones for spiritual development and expansion of the consciousness. In crystal healing, it is believed to be a gemstone of communication and one that stimulates the co-operation and transfer of energies between those of extraterrestrial origins and those inhabiting earth.  Moldavite is generally considered to be one of the gemstones which is very important for this phase of human evolution.

Moldavite is graded 5 to 5.5 on Mohs scale of mineral hardness.

The following links offer further reading on moldavite

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldavite

http://www.gemologyonline.com/moldavite.html