DEEP IMPACT LUNAR AND RARE METEORITES
NEW YORK — Christie’s annual online-only sale of important meteorites, Deep Impact: Lunar, Martian, and Other Rare Meteorites, totaled $906,192, with bids coming in from across the globe. Deep Impact offered collectors a compelling selection of one of the rarest — every known meteorite on Earth collectively weighs less than the world’s annual output of gold —and most sought-after natural wonders. This highly attractive sale brought in a flood of new interest to the category, with more than one in three participants in the sale, a new buyer or bidder.
The top lot was the spectacular single strand necklace of perfectly matched lunar beads. The first of its kind offered at auction, NWA 12691 — The Lunar Necklace, fetched $201,600, a price above its high estimate. “Today, we set a benchmark result for extraterrestrial jewelry with the landmark sale of the Lunar Necklace,” said the curator of the Macovich Collection, Darryl Pitt, who conceived and consigned the piece. “This necklace is a game changer in the market.” Other highlights include another piece of the moon, Agator el Feroua 001 — The Second Largest Lunar Mare Meteorite on Earth, which brought $189,000; NWA 7034 Pairing – From Mars, The Renowned Water-Rich “Black Beauty”, which made $44,100; and Henbury Meteorite — Matchless Anthropomorphic Australian Meteorite, which made $40,320.
