Billitonite Tektite 17.52g Individual of Very Rare & Special Impact Glass

Description

Item for auction is a 17.52g individual of the Billitonite tektite. Known as Batu Satam, which loosely translates as 'bile of the sand’, Billitonites are a type of tektite found on Belitung Island, Indonesia. These strange and revered stones were found by tin miners exploiting alluvial cassiterite ores to a depth of 30 feet or more below the ground surface. Jet black and as glossy as wet enamel paint, these stones are commonly etched by deep U-shaped grooves and pits. The grooves sometimes duplicate flowing Arabic script, and when such scripts match those of cultural significance, the stones are deemed particularly magical.
Created by a cosmic event, known as the Australasian Impact, which happened approximately 780,000 years ago in the Bay of Tonkin. Tektites from the Australasian impact are scattered throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and as far as Australia; however, Batu Satam, or Billitonites, found in Quaternary gravels and tuffs are very special and rare to find. As a matter of fact, I have friends who have attended the Tucson rock & gem show for 17 years, and in that time they found only one (1) Billitonite for sale that was from an old European collection. This is an exceptional specimen that would make a perfect addition to your collection, and comes with a Big Kahuna Meteorites Certificate of Authenticity. Scale cube in photo is 1cm on each side, and not included in sale. Big Kahuna combines shipping, and addresses must be in the English language, to facilitate customs input at US Postal Service. Non-English addresses cannot be shipped, and may incur additional fees for handling. We no longer ship to China or Italy.
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