A while back I bought some "African Moldavite" on eBay. When I got it, it just looked like flat green glass beads about the size of your thumbnail with a white powder coating all over. Is there any such thing in nature called African Moldavite? or was I had? http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,58984#msg-58984 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:39:36 +0000 Phorum 5.2.15a http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,275494#msg-275494 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,275494#msg-275494 Evan Johnson Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sat, 03 Nov 2012 15:32:07 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,275490#msg-275490 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,275490#msg-275490 Uwe Kolitsch Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sat, 03 Nov 2012 13:45:36 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,275484#msg-275484 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,275484#msg-275484
I remember a discussion from elsewhere, a few years' back, which concluded that some 'Tsavorite' on offer by the 'miners' was in fact green glass of modern origin. Sometimes glass is easy to discriminate - and sometimes if is not. Resolution in that matter came through the polishing of a face on a couple of pieces and checking the RI.

Many Africans - not least many of those now labelled as Kenyan - are fiercely effective traders. One literally had the shirt off my back on one occasion:-D In my small experience, business ethics generally are those of market-places around the world. Caveat Emptor. There are persons that, in time, one comes to trust on personal basis. Much like home really - except that customer protection and legal remedies at home are *sometimes* more effective.

Alfredo Petrov Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ........ I've always been a bit amused
> when the Herkimer folks complain that diggers in
> other parts of the world are "unethical" when they
> call their quartz crystals "Herkimer diamonds".
> They call their quartz "diamonds" and then
> complain about misuse of the name "Herkimer"? Talk
> about the pot calling the kettle black!

:-) In general, it would probably be better not to associate localities with mineral varieties)IMHO) - but it's way too late to correct that tendency. What could - and I think should - be done is firmly to divorce the acceptable use of varietal names from any form of exclusive proprietorship, be it through the registering of a trade-name or simple local/regional protectionism. The sometimes used analogy to the protection of regional/locality status granted to wines is simply false for reasons that are largely self-evident and need not be not aired here.

'Herkimer Diamond' is a pretty name describing a sub-variety of naturally occurring Rock Crystal, occurring around the world. If not exactly a common-place, it is widely distributed and in some abundance. As Alfredo points out, there is (at the very least) 'poetic licence' in the arrogation of the species name 'Diamond' and this alone is sufficent to rob this particular varietal name of any honest local proprietorship.

A regional claim to 'Moldavite' is not so easy to dismiss though. Has tectite glass of this colour and physical properties ever been found elsewhere? If it has, then I'd vote for it being called Moldavite also - as descriptive of its properties and not of where it comes from. But, AFAIK, no one has found this stuff elsewhere.

The few pics put up in this topic of 'African Moldavite':-
- Do not look in the least like Moldavite.
- No evidence is offered that the pics are of a tectite glass.
- From memory only, the appearance of this 'African' material is not dissimilar to the stuff offered to others a while back as Tsavorite rough.]]> Owen Lewis Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sat, 03 Nov 2012 12:23:45 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,275481#msg-275481 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,275481#msg-275481 Alfredo Petrov Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sat, 03 Nov 2012 08:04:47 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,275480#msg-275480 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,275480#msg-275480
I have personally collected sizeable chunks of the green crystalline stone from a river-bed - nowhere near a 'jungle' and not that extremely remote, either.

though having no axe to grind myself (other than a gripe with the anti-African stereotypes which pervade Euro-American cultures), it would clearly behoove those of you who claim the stuff is 'glass' from the 'Ancient Egyptians' or like ballyhoo to test the stuff properly yourselves before spouting and crowing that others have 'been had'.]]> Eliot Masters Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sat, 03 Nov 2012 07:03:29 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250844#msg-250844 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250844#msg-250844
Adriaan: what you have is simply green glass.]]> Uwe Kolitsch Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:46:01 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250837#msg-250837 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250837#msg-250837

© Jason J. Evans

or this

© Jason J. Evans

and isn't from the Czech republic, Austria or Germany it is not Moldavite!
And just for interest here is some Libyan desert glass

© Jason J. Evans

Here is a link to a fascinating documentary about LDG, maybe the one Rob was referring to?
[www.disclose.tv]

Its split into 5 parts, the other parts are also on that site, it's well worth watching it.]]> Jason Evans Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:29:10 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250825#msg-250825 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250825#msg-250825 Alfredo Petrov Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:55:29 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250816#msg-250816 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250816#msg-250816

They are not Herkimer Diamonds unless they are from Herkimer NY

It is not Champagne unless it is from that region in France,

and so on.

Anything else, even if it is a Tektite formed through a similar process, is NOT a moldavite.]]> Mandala Rain Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:02:59 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250776#msg-250776 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250776#msg-250776 Craig Mercer Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:13:34 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250774#msg-250774 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,250774#msg-250774 adriaan de jager37865/6/:6/6,;_ Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:51:31 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,236998#msg-236998 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,236998#msg-236998 Jamey Swisher Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:51:09 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,235716#msg-235716 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,235716#msg-235716 But never from AFRICA !!!!!

Vita]]> Vítězslav Snášel Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sat, 17 Sep 2011 07:12:50 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,235705#msg-235705 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,235705#msg-235705 Alfredo Petrov Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sat, 17 Sep 2011 03:12:12 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,235676#msg-235676 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,235676#msg-235676 -------------------------------------------------------
> Moldavite (specific name for the variant tektites)
> comes from only one place on earth - the Czech
> Republic.


Well, sorry, but that's not 100% correct. Although the Czech Republic is definitely the major source of moldavites, they are also found in northern Lower Austria (in a gravel pit near Altenburg, if my memory does not cheat me). They are of the same origin but much rarer and smaller than the Czech ones.

Cheers]]> Harald Schillhammer Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:12:47 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,235648#msg-235648 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,235648#msg-235648 The name is derived from the name of the river in Czech rep. - Vltava (in German language Moldau)
[en.wikipedia.org]
So your stone from Africa(it's whatever) can not be moldavite!

Some Moldavite see here [www.mindat.org]

Vita]]> Vítězslav Snášel Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Fri, 16 Sep 2011 06:04:43 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,235644#msg-235644 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,235644#msg-235644
thanking you
Julie]]> GreenxxStone Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:48:35 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,179951#msg-179951 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,179951#msg-179951 Jamey Swisher Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:29:05 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,179756#msg-179756 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,179756#msg-179756
I has a large amount of chrome in it and that's what gives it its nice color. It is also from the Tanzania region. My educated guess is that it is volcanic glass. The other possibility is that it could be very ancient glass.

If the ebay person claimed that it was real moldavite then you where duped. So, it's a very misleading name, and may be deliberately misleading to supply the metaphysical sector with a stone they desire in ever greater quantities.]]> SunCrow Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:48:06 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,174982#msg-174982 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,174982#msg-174982 Rusty James Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:59:00 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,168531#msg-168531 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,168531#msg-168531 Jamey Swisher Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:27:29 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,168161#msg-168161 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,168161#msg-168161 thanks for the info.
I did not know they contained zircons.
Now I NEED to look at it under a microscope.

Rob,
Part of the reason I bought the piece,
is because this type of inclusion is interesting from a scientific standpoint.
I have seen wisps of similar inclusions, but mine is chock-full of it.
Making it priceless for study, I'l accept a personal check for one million. LOL
I know that they have not found an impact crater, which doesn't suprise me.
It's a big area with a lot of shifting sands, and the impact happened a long time ago.
So to awnser you question, no I don't know what they are...yet.

Jamey,
You should get one of these, get it tested, and shut me and Alfredo up about "green obsidian" once and for all.]]> Adam Kelly Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:39:42 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167992#msg-167992 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167992#msg-167992
Honestly I have no reason to doubt my miner friends. We have known them and dealt with them for years. We have purchased everything from rough tanzanite to faceted untreated Pad Sapphires and they have never misrepresented anything in all the years dealing with them.

That said, I never bothered to purchase any of the green obsidian/glass. If I want to facet that stuff I will just buy some Helenite, it sells far quicker, lol. After all, glass is glass whether it is man-made or nature made, IMHO, still only glass when it comes right down to it.]]> Jamey Swisher Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:18:21 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167689#msg-167689 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167689#msg-167689 How do you "know" that it is "NOT manmade"? Because your miner friends told you they found it underground in the Tanzania/Merelani/Kenya/Mali/Umba/Tuduru region? I won't say anything is impossible, but bright green chrome-colored obsidian is highly unlikely. Far more likely that someone melted a chromium-bearing mineral artificially.]]> Alfredo Petrov Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:31:01 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167652#msg-167652 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167652#msg-167652 Jamey Swisher Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:24:03 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167651#msg-167651 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167651#msg-167651
Re: other Moldavite - There is another trade name circulating called "White Moldavite" which is not even a tecktite at all! It is treated calcite, from the Mohave Desert in Arizona. There is also Moldavite incense and Moldavite oil, both containing "Essence of Moldavite". Perhaps I could interest you in some Moldavite from my fridge, growing on my cheese.

Caveat Emptor...]]> Stephanie Martin Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:22:42 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167630#msg-167630 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167630#msg-167630 Rob Woodside Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:56:25 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167619#msg-167619 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167619#msg-167619 I have one that is about the color of amber, but has blue "flashes" of color due to apparently very rare inclusions.
I have handeled many kilos of this material and only seen two pieces, mine being the better.

I also have a large, but pale and milky one for trade.]]> Adam Kelly Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:31:25 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167617#msg-167617 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167617#msg-167617 Rob Woodside Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:02:25 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167614#msg-167614 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,58984,167614#msg-167614 Usually yellow in color, it was used to make scarabs in the headpiece fro King Tut.
They have not pinpointed the cause of it as of yet, but due to inclusions in is believed meteor related.

P.S. it looks nothing like "african moldavite" which screams fake]]> Adam Kelly Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:41:04 +0000