Antique Genuine Natural Czechoslovakian Forest Green One and One-Half Carat Moldavite (Meteorite) Semi-Precious Gemstone Faceted Trillion. Contemporary High Quality Sterling Silver Ring (Size 7 – Resizing Available).
CLASSIFICATION: Faceted Moldavite Trillion.
ORIGIN: Moldau River Valley, The Czech Republic, 19th Century. Hand cut and faceted in Russia. Setting is contemporary.
SIZE: Length: 8mm. Width: 8mm. Depth: 5mm. All measurements approximate.
WEIGHT: Approximately 1.48 carats.
NOTE: Resizing is available. If you would prefer a different setting style, odds are we have many different setting styles available which would fit this stone(s) which could be substituted for no or very little additional cost. 14kt solid gold settings are also available. Write us for pictures and prices.
NOTE: If you would like only the gemstone, and not the setting, we can dismount the gemstone and offer you the gemstone without the setting. Just let us know, and yes, we’ll discount the price by the cost of the setting.
DETAIL: Moldavite gemstones are the fused remains of the outer surface of a meteorite or comet which crashed into present-day Germany some 14.7 millions years ago. Meteorites have held special significance to mankind, and it has been recorded by many historians that in numerous ancient civilizations meteorites were held sacred. Legends even hold that Israel’s King Solomon owned moldavite gemstones. One of ancient history’s most frequent examples is in Ancient Egypt where meteorites were found in the Great Pyramids as well as in many lesser royal tombs. Another example is a stone which was reported to have been a meteorite, which was kept in a revered repository within Apollos temple at Delphi in ancient Greece. There are legends that Mohammed brought three pieces of moldavite, once owned by Abraham, and placed them at Mecca. The wall of the Kaba, the holiest shrine of Islam at Mecca also contains a stone that is believed to be of meteoritic origin.
Heres an absolutely gorgeous, richly textured and colored green faceted moldavite semi-precious gemstone originally from Czechoslovakia. The gemstone was hand crafted into this sparkling faceted trillion by a 19th century Russian artisan. Russia, fabled for its production of fabulous Czarist jewelry and gemstones through Medieval, Renaissance, and Victorian Europe. The faceted cut is a coarse precursor to what eventually became known in the industry as a “trillion cut”, a three sided shape resembling a pyramid with rounded corners. The trillion cut is very popular contemporarily with ruby, but also sapphire, aquamarine, topaz, amethyst, and peridot. High quality, transparent, this gorgeous gemstone possesses a rich velvety green color which is uniquely moldavite. This gemstone is transparent, however as you can see by examining the accompanying photo enlargements, it is not flawless.
You can clearly see the dispersed air bubbles that moldavite is noted for. The fine bubbles trapped within the gemstone possess the evidence of its extraterrestrial origin (read further below). All moldavite has such tiny little gas bubbles. No gas bubbles and it is not moldavite. The bubbles are the consequence of being formed 25 kilometers above the earth from the molten remains of the meteorite. The setting is of contemporary origin. It is a high quality setting manufactured by one of the USA’s leading semi-custom mount producers. It is constructed of solid sterling silver. We do have the ability to have the ring sent out for resizing if requested. There are many other ring styles available, if you would like to see them, just contact us, we would be happy to share them with you. Most other setting styles in sterling silver are available at no additional cost. Additionally, if preferred, this mounting (as well as a wide variety of ring settings in other appealing styles) are also available in 14kt solid gold.
The gemstone is transparent, and as far as moldavite goes, relatively clean and nicely colored. However as mentioned, the photo enlargements of the gemstone do reveal the presence of diffused bubbles of gas. However such minute bubbles are not considered blemishes or flaws – it is a characteristic of all genuine moldavite. What is important is that the color is an extraordinarily rich green and that the gemstone is transparent. However as might be expected under magnification the gemstone shows the unmistakable, hallmark characteristics of having been hand crafted.
The coarseness of the antique, handcrafted finish is considered desirable to most gemstone aficionados, and is not considered a detriment, or detract from the value of a gemstone. These characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, many believe that such antique hand-crafted gemstones possess much greater character and appeal than todays mass-produced, laser-cut gemstones. Unlike today’s computer controlled machine produced gemstones that approach flawlessness in a perfect finish, the cut and finish of an antique, handcrafted gemstone such as this is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago.
Handcrafted though it may be the gemstone has great luster and character, and to the eye is completely transparent. However again that is not to intimate that it is absolutely flawless. As described, moldavite is characterized by the presence of diffuse gas bubbles trapped within, and this gemstone certainly is no exception. Except for the presence of the hallmark minute gas bubbles, any other blemishes to be found within the gemstones are virtually invisible to the naked eye. Thus with the exception of those diffuse gas bubbles, to use trade jargon the gemstone can be otherwise described as "eye clean". To the view of the casual admirer the gemstone is seemingly without blemish. However magnified as it is in the accompanying photo enlargements you might be able to detect as few minute blemishes within the gemstone.
Of course much the same may said about almost any natural gemstone. An absolutely flawless gemstone simply is not the rule in nature. Most absolutely flawless gemstones will upon close examination be revealed to be synthetic, as perfect gemstones are the realm of laboratory-produced gemstones, not Mother Nature. You might also notice under magnification occasional irregularities in the cut and finish. Naturally these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, you must also consider that two centuries ago the mining techniques even possible then, let alone in practice, did not allow the ultra deep mining operations which are so commonplace today. Keep in mind two centuries ago mankind was more or less limited to surface deposits or near surface deposits of gemstones.
Higher quality gemstones which today are routinely mined from beneath hundreds of meters, even kilometers beneath the earths surface, were simply inaccessible then. It is precisely for these reasons antique gemstones must be appreciated as antiques first, gemstones second. The relatively superlative quality of contemporary gemstones routinely mined from deep beneath the earths surface today were simply not accessible two centuries ago, or at least, only rarely so. However for most, the unique nature and character of these antique gemstones more than makes up for the blemishes found within the gemstones, as well as the cutting irregularities common to handcrafted gemstones, all of which are by and large (if at all) are only visible under magnification.
MOLDAVITE HISTORY: Moldavite is the only known gemstone with an extraterrestrial origin. Very rare and found principally only in a limited area of present-day Czechoslovakia in the hills, valleys, impact craters, and waters of the Moldau and Vltava rivers). The gemstones are the melted and fused remains of the outer surface of (one or more) meteorites or comets which crashed into present-day Germany some 14.7 millions years ago. Evidence demonstrates that even Cro-Magnon man during the Upper Paleolithic collected the gemstones as long as 30,000 years ago. The fine bubbles trapped within the gemstone possess the evidence of its extraterrestrial origin (read further below).
All moldavite has such tiny little gas bubbles. No gas bubbles (many of them elongated) and it is not moldavite. The bubbles are the consequence of being formed 25 kilometers above the earth from the molten remains of the meteorite. Evidence suggests that there were a series of major meteor impacts in an area stretching from Germany and Austria through Czechoslovakia. Great pressures and heat caused by the collision created a sort of “instant magma”, which exploded back into the atmosphere. The most significant strike formed the Ries crater at Nordlingen in southern Germany. In the impact the kinetic energy of the 15 mile a second speed of the meteorite was transformed into thermal energy.
The meteorite exploded, and the released heat melted the meteorite which was shot up by the pressure of the explosion into a height of about 50 kilometers. At the moment of impact the explosion would have been comparable with multiple hydrogen bombs. The atmosphere would have been torn apart, and moldavite formed in the vacuum bubble. The molten moldavite then fell back to Mother Earth in droplets. A very unique and specific feature of moldavite are the minute round bubbles inside the gemstone material. America’s NASA examined the gaseous inclusions and determined that the pressure of rare gasses within the gemstone was equivalent to the atmospheric pressure of roughly 20 - 25 kilometers above the Earths surface, demonstrating that the gemstones were indeed formed miles above the earth’s surface as a molten substance.
Known as a tektite, moldavite resembles obsidian. The oldest discoveries of worked moldavite goes as far back as the Stone Age, when moldavite was worn as amulets, mostly because of the natural appearance and striking green color. Professor Vladimir Bouska, in his book “Moldavites - The Czech Tektites”, states that “The first human being that was interested in Moldavites was a Cro-Magnon man from the…Upper Paleolithic. Several pieces of green Moldavite glass (perhaps amuletic in nature) were found together with the famous statue of Venus of Willendorf, which is about 29,000 years old, at Willendorf in Lower Austria. Articles fashioned from moldavite have also been unearthed at many other archaeological sites throughout Central Europe which yielded relics from prehistoric inhabitants.
Moldavite was first described in print more than two hundreds years ago. The first scientific report about these strange stones was published in 1786 when Professor Josef Mayer delivered a paper at the symposium of the Czech Society of Sciences. Only a few dozen pieces of moldavite have been found outside Czechoslovakia (in Austria and/or Germany). Since the late nineteenth century not only gemstones have been produced from moldavite, but other objects have been decorated with this fabulous gemstone, such as tiaras, combs, rings, earrings, cuff links, and walking sticks. Previously little known due to its rarity, interest in moldavite increased considerably in the 1960’s. The renewed interest was sparked when the government of Switzerland presented Queen Elizabeth II, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of her coronation, with a commemorative tiara.
In the center of that tiara was placed a Czech moldavite in its natural state, surrounded with diamonds and black pearls. Since that time the export of moldavite from Czechoslovakia has been severely curtailed and is highly regulated. Both meteorites as well as green gemstones (almost always referred to as “emerald” in ancient texts) have held special significance to mankind. It has been recorded by many historians that in numerous ancient civilizations meteorites were held sacred and were said to have incredibly mysterious powers. One of ancient history’s most frequent examples is in Ancient Egypt where meteorites were found in the Great Pyramids as well as in many lesser royal tombs. In another example, a stone believed to be a meteorite was kept in a revered repository within Apollos temple at Delphi in ancient Greece.
The third century Roman Emperor Elegabalus was also the High Priest of the cult religion worshipping the Semitic Sun God El-Gabal, the patron deity of the emperors birthplace, Emesa. Elegabalus erected at the Roman Palatine a temple called the Elagabalium, which housed a black conical meteorite. According to the Roman Historian Herodian, the meteorite was, “worshipped as though it were sent from heaven”. In yet another example, the wall of the Kaba, the holiest shrine of Islam at Mecca, contains a black stone that has been reported to be of meteoritic origin. In fact throughout the ancient world sorcerers and magicians from Babylon and Egypt, as well as astrologers in Middle Ages, attributed a magic power to influence the human body to all green stones.
Even today these beliefs remain strong, particularly in the countries of East Asia. In fact ancient Asian accounts of the gemstone claim that it fell from the Sirius star system. Moldavite’s history in magic and spirituality was also recorded in the Middle Ages, wherein it was regarded as a mystical stone that could bring good luck and fulfillment of wishes. In Czech folklore, moldavite was believed to bring harmony and healing to marital relationships, and the green crystal was used as a traditional betrothal gift there for centuries. In Medieval Europe moldavite was also believed to be one of the stones mounted into the Holy Grail, the legendary chalice which held Christ’s blood (other legends attribute it as the drinking cup Christ used at the last supper).
One version of the Holy Grail myth maintains that the grail was actually a cup cut from a green “grail stone”, and that the grail stone fell from the sky out of a crown of a high-ranking angel (thus the connection to moldavite, the only cosmic gemstone known to exist). In one Eastern European folk tale, Satans crown was said to be made of moldavite, which melted as he fell to Earth. In yet another folk tale, one of the jewels on the hilt of the sword Excaliber is said to have been moldavite. There are also legends that Mohammed brought three pieces of moldavite, once owned by Abraham, and placed them at Mecca. Even more ancient legends hold that King Solomon owned moldavite gemstones. Moldavite has also been referred as “The Philosopher’s Stone”, the key to turning focused thoughts into reality, and for transmuting ordinary elements into gold.
Throughout the history of the ancient world, gemstones were believed capable of curing illness, possessed of valuable metaphysical properties, and to provide protection. Found in Egypt dated 1500 B. C., the "Papyrus Ebers" offered one of most complete therapeutic manuscripts containing prescriptions using gemstones and minerals. Gemstones were not only valued for their medicinal and protective properties, but also for educational and spiritual enhancement. In the ancient world it was believed that moldavite gave the wearer energy, removed tiredness, headaches, and improved the quality of concentration as well as meditation. Moldavite was prized by numerous cultures for its healing properties, and was also believed to aiding those who suffered from panic attacks and anxiety.
Contemporary practitioners believe that moldavite it can accelerate spiritual development and help the wearer make conscious contact with the “higher self”. Used a meditation aid, it is believed to help one pierce the veil “between the worlds”, open communication with spirit guides and deities, and encourage visions of higher planes. Moldavite crystal is said to be a catalyst for inner evolution towards one’s highest good. Advocates claim that the changes it brings can be intense and rapid, but they are, by all accounts, significant and valuable to the individual though improvements to the physical body, one’s dream life, one’s awareness of healing spirit guides and other aspects of the spiritual dimensions, one’s career, and one’s relationships.
With respect to physical health, it is believed that the iron inclusions in moldavite help with anemia and give physical strength, and that it can magnify the healing energies in other stones. It is also believed quite effective in healing the damages wrought by pollution or ills of the modern world, such as asthma, and that it also helps smokers “kick the habit”. On the metaphysical plane, moldavite is likened to an electrical accumulator which stores universal energy, and then can surrender that stored energy to the wearer, increasing the spiritual vitality of the wearer, infusing the wearer with knowledge, and enhancing healing abilities.
Moldavite is also believed to facilitate the disconnection from unhealthy attachments, and to encourage more meaningful and vivid dreams. Western practitioners of the Chinese form of healing meditation known as Qigong use moldavite believing that the crystals increase the flow of energy from the cosmos and earth into their personal energy field, increasing their ability to heal themselves and others through the use of Qigong. Similar results are claimed by the users of Reiki, the Japanese healing form of energy distribution through the laying of hands.
SHIPPING & RETURNS/REFUNDS: Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. All of our shipments are fully insured against loss, and our shipping rates include the cost of this coverage (through stamps.com, Shipsaver.com, the USPS, UPS, or Fed-Ex). International tracking is provided free by the USPS for certain countries, other countries are at additional cost. ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount, typically about $5 per item so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. We will accept whatever payment method you are most comfortable with.
Please note for international purchasers we will do everything we can to minimize your liability for VAT and/or duties. But we cannot assume any responsibility or liability for whatever taxes or duties may be levied on your purchase by the country of your residence. If you don’t like the tax and duty schemes your government imposes, please complain to them. We have no ability to influence or moderate your country’s tax/duty schemes. If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked 30-day return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price; 1) less our original shipping/insurance costs, 2) less any non-refundable eBay fees. Please note that though they generally do, eBay may not always refund payment processing fees on returns beyond a 30-day purchase window. So except for shipping costs and any payment processing fees not refunded by eBay, we will refund all proceeds from the sale of a return item. Obviously we have no ability to influence, modify or waive eBay policies.
ABOUT US: Prior to our retirement we used to travel to Eastern Europe and Central Asia several times a year seeking antique gemstones and jewelry from the globe’s most prolific gemstone producing and cutting centers. Most of the items we offer came from acquisitions we made in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) during these years from various institutions and dealers. Much of what we generate on Etsy, Amazon and Ebay goes to support worthy institutions in Europe and Asia connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. Though we have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, our primary interests are ancient/antique jewelry and gemstones, a reflection of our academic backgrounds.
Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, in Eastern Europe and Central Asia antique gemstones are commonly dismounted from old, broken settings – the gold reused – the gemstones recut and reset. Before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, we try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state – most of them originally crafted a century or more ago. We believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting.
Not everyone agrees – fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with us that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or “lab produced”) gemstones which dominate the market today. We can set most any antique gemstone you purchase from us in your choice of styles and metals ranging from rings to pendants to earrings and bracelets; in sterling silver, 14kt solid gold, and 14kt gold fill. When you purchase from us, you can count on quick shipping and careful, secure packaging. We would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from us. There is a $3 fee for mailing under separate cover. I will always respond to every inquiry whether via email or eBay message, so please feel free to write.
