Dark Libyan Desert Glass, Sahara Desert, Egypt, 14.6g

This Dark Libyan Desert Glass piece is well-sculpted with a very cratered texture and semi-translucent clarity. It still contains grains of sand particles from Egypt, it displays a beautiful world within when backlit. The texture and ventifact form of this piece, lets us know it was buried but eventually became exposed on the surface of the sand. Where the elements such as wind and sand, began to smooth the texture of this piece; creating an exceptional well-formed ventifact tektite, that originated from a meteorite impact.

Dark Libyan Desert Glass (LDG) is an uncommon; compared to the more widely recognized golden yellow LDG. Dark Libyan Desert Glass can have incredible inclusions, with swirls and striations of smoky earth tones. The unusual coloration is due to higher concentrations of iron, other trace elements and possibly meteorite material captured within the tektite while it was still molten glass. Dark LDG is often opaque or has limited translucency. Due to its rarity and distinct appearance, top quality dark LDG is highly valued by collectors.

We specialize in the top quality Libyan Desert Glass and carefully hand select each piece in person for best condition, color, clarity and form. 

• Tektite Name: Libyan Desert Glass
  
• Classification: Meteorite Impactite / Tektite
• Weight: 14.6g
• Size: 34 x 25 x 15 mm
• Locality: Great Sand Sea, Sahara Desert, Egypt 
• Quality: AAA+ Top Quality
• Condition: Excellent, near flawless, no visible chips.

About Libyan Desert Glass
Libyan Desert Glass is considered by many to be the most beautiful and valuable tektite ever discovered and the most difficult to collect. Due to the remote area, tremendous effort is required when attempting to cross the vast sand dunes, to reach the Libyan Desert Glass strewnfield, deep in the Sahara Desert, in Southwest Egypt near the border of Libya. These golden tektite gems are scattered over 6000 kilometers between the shifting sand dunes of the Great Sand Sea, the nearest landmarks are Koufra Oasis and Gilf Kebir Plateau. Instability in the region has made collecting and exporting difficult, prices are expected to rise in the future due to supply and demand. 

Libyan Desert Glass has been used since ancient times, for tools and jewelry. In ancient Egypt, the funerary necklace of King Tutankhamen has a large scarab centerpiece made of Libyan Gold Tektite. When the tomb of King Tutankhamen was discovered in 1922, the gem was thought to be Chalcedony, it wasn't until over 75 years later that Italian mineralogist Vincenzo de Michele analyzed the optical properties of the scarab gemstone and confirmed it was Libyan Desert Glass.