Column: Jim’s Fragments

January 1, 2012

Tucson Gem Show Memories

In a few days it will again be time for the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. I will be off to find treasures from beyond the Earth. If memory serves correctly this will be my twentieth Tucson Gem Show. Often I have used the January issue of my article as a time to remember the [...]

Column: Jim's Fragments

Alamo Breccia 2011

December 1, 2011

Alamo Breccia 2011

As I write this I am hoping I will have enough new material to offer from our second visit to the Alamo BrecciaIn contrast to conglomerates which are rocks made of varying sizes of round cobbles. Breccias are rocks made of angular chunks of rocks. Breccias made of one type of rock pieces are called [...]

Column: Jim's Fragments

The Diary of a Meteorite Hunting Trip

November 1, 2011

The Diary of a Meteorite Hunting Trip

After a couple weeks of exchanging emails between the three of us a basic plan for vacation has begun to emerge. We do not leave for another few days but for me today and tomorrow are the last days off from work to prepare. I have my list made and I have gotten a few [...]

Column: Jim's Fragments

Meteorites at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles

October 1, 2011

Meteorites at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles

The last time I had been to the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles was about 30 years ago. My wife and I have been trying to take our grandchildren and their parents on some outings during the summer. When the new Dinosaur Exhibit opened at the museum we thought that would be fun. So [...]

Column: Jim's Fragments

Unclassified Beauty

September 1, 2011

Unclassified Beauty

Middle of the summer is always the time when we stay home and avoid the heat of the dessert. But, have no fear we will get back out and hunting in the fallThe recovered meteorites of an event that was seen by eye witnesses.. So I have been spending a lot of time cutting meteorites [...]

Column: Jim's Fragments

Tektite Testing Revisited

August 1, 2011

Tektite Testing Revisited

At least a couple times a year I receive specimens from someone who thinks they have found tektites at a new location. Often it is somewhere in Arizona or Utah. So this month we are reviewing the differences between tektites and other natural glasses. Sometimes the finders have some knowledge of locations where non tektites [...]

Tags: Tektite Testing

Column: Jim's Fragments

Unclassified Meteorites

July 1, 2011

Unclassified Meteorites

I have for many years had an up-to-date database of my officially recognized meteorites. And I maintain that very carefully adding each new acquisition as soon as possible after it arrives. However, I have not done so with my unclassified meteorites. I have painted identification information on many of them. It is a code that [...]

Column: Jim's Fragments

Garage Make Over

June 1, 2011

Garage Make Over

This month I undertake a long postponed task of getting my lapidary workshop organized. I had to move the large saw from my father’s garage to my garage. It seemed like a great time to begin getting the other equipment set up and placed permanently. The last time the vibrating lap was up and running [...]

Column: Jim's Fragments

The Real Rocks at Reality Rocks

May 1, 2011

The Real Rocks at Reality Rocks

In general, I am about as far from being a reality TV fan as a person can get. I watch mostly the channels on history and science and my sci-fi movies of course and that is it. Ask me about the news and I can barely tell you a thing about what is going on [...]

Tags: Meteorite Men, Reality Rocks

Column: Jim's Fragments

Surprises In Unclassified Meteorites

April 1, 2011

Surprises In Unclassified Meteorites

Even with the diminishing supply of nice unclassified NWA material showing up at Tucson year by year I was able to find some pretty nice stones at the last show. I thought that this month you might be interested in seeing what these mystery stones turned out to look like when I got them home [...]

Column: Jim's Fragments

Meteorite Hunting Book Review

March 1, 2011

Meteorite Hunting Book Review

I have done book reviews before. Usually the only characters in the books are meteorites or tektites. In this case Meteorite Hunting How To Find Treasure From Space I know almost every character mentioned in the book. That made it very special for me, but by the end of the reading it was clear that [...]

Tags: Books, Meteorite Hunting

Column: Jim's Fragments

Tucson Show 2011 Recap

February 1, 2011

Tucson Show 2011 Recap

Well another Tucson Gem and Mineral Show has come and gone. I went this year with a lot of other concerns on my personal plate. But, it turned out to be a great time for me and I was for the most part able to forget the other stuff for a few days. Paul and [...]

Tags: Tucson Show

Column: Jim's Fragments

Newly Found Craters Compared

January 1, 2011

Newly Found Craters Compared

It isn’t every day that a new craterThe bowl shaped scar formed when an asteroid strikes the Earth or other body. Usually refers to a different feature than the simple impact pit formed ay a small meteorite. Craters generally refer to a feature formed by explosive force. is discovered on the Earth but we have [...]

Tags: Gebel Kamil

Column: Jim's Fragments

The Ravages of Time

December 1, 2010

The Ravages of Time

Iron shale was once the most common meteoritic material to be seen around the area of MeteorThe luminous phenomena in the sky caused by the high velocity passage of a cosmic body through the atmosphere. CraterThe bowl shaped scar formed when an asteroid strikes the Earth or other body. Usually refers to a different feature [...]

Tags: Canyon Diablo, Iron Shale, Meteor Crater

Column: Jim's Fragments

Franconia Vacation 2010

November 1, 2010

Franconia Vacation 2010

I decided this year that I would not work right up to the day before we left for vacation. So Saturday was my last day of work and I got to do some resting up and leisurely packing before we headed to the desert on Wednesday morning. Paul arrived just about exactly when we had [...]

Column: Jim's Fragments

Latest Meteorite Dealer Listings

Moldavite Jewelry
All of our Moldavite Jewelry is handmade with beautiful specimens of moldavite tektite. Each moldavite pendant is unique and
NWA 4502 (CV3-4)
Carbonaceous chondrites are the most primitive meteorites, and CV chondrites illustrate the history of our solar system bette
Sikhote-Alin Meteorite
Please visit our Sikhote-Alin Meteorites For Sale page to see our specimens for sale. Sikhote-Alin meteorites have thum
Silkhote-Alin Meteorite Shrapnel
We have a nice supply of Sikhote-Alin Shrapnel For Sale. These pieces of torn and twisted nickel-iron metal were ripped apart
NWA 869 Meteorite
We have NWA 869 Meteorites in slices and end pieces. It is a brecciated stone with clasts of many different types incorporate

Latest Meteorite Classifieds

NWA 4502 (CV3-4)
Carbonaceous chondrites are the most primitive meteorites, and CV chondrites illustrate the history of our solar system bette
Meteorite Library
Meteorite Library. I like to think one of the better collections in the US, accumulated over a period of 20 years, starting i
Richfield (LL3.7)
Richfield (LL3.7) 13.4g Partial Slice — Richfield is arguably the most beautiful LL chondrite known, however there is very li
NWA 2977 (Lunar Gabbro)
NWA 2977 (Lunar Gabbro) 0.8g Partial Slice — Laboratory analysis determined this space rock is an olivine-rich cumulate Gabbr
NWA 4664 (Diogenite)
NWA 4664 (Diogenite) 4.4g Partial Slice — NWA 4664 is thought to be a sample of mantle material from the asteroid 4 Vesta. Ho