[meteorite-list] African Moldavite
From: N Lehrman <nlehrman_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:53:33 2004 Message-ID: <006801c29fae$54f58e60$7499fea9_at_homeportal.2wire.net> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0065_01C29F6B.466D9920 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Mark/List, Second try---I responded earlier to mark, but failed to get the message = out to the whole list. From Mark's subsequent messages, it appears that = the sellers are being a bit more open, but still not so on eBay. Buyer = beware! I have corresponded with the folks selling faceted "Tanzanian tektites" = on eBay. There is not a shred of solid evidence that their material is = what they claim. They found some peculiar emerald green material in = river alluvium, saw moldavites in some gemstone book and got the idea. = Some college prof (virtually none of whom ever have any training in = tektites---) told them they might be tektites. I have begged the sellers to at least qualify their claims with an = appropriate expression of uncertainty. I see nothing dishonest about = letting people gamble on uncertain material so long as they know they = are gambling. At this point there is still no solid evidence that the = material is not what they claim (other than the obvious fact that the = term "Moldavite" is wrong in any case). If they should happen to be = right, the specimens could be very valuable. However, with no solid = data one way or the other, the odds are strongly against them. The only = assured tektites from the entire African continent are the hundred or so = specimens from the Ivory Coast (which are jet black like Indochinites). = If I thought there was any good reason to hope that this material might = be real, I would be first to bid! I haven't. Since the sellers have refused to add these suggested qualifiers to = their eBay listings, I can only conclude that they are now making a = conscious choice to be dishonest (or less than honest), which tells you = something. =20 Cheers, Merry Solstice and a Happy New Orbit to all! Norm Lehrman (TektiteSource.com) ----- Original Message -----=20 From: mafer_at_domafer.com=20 To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20 Sent: Saturday, December 07, 2002 7:25 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] African Moldavite Hi Folks I'm wondering if any of you seasoned and knowledgable people know = anything about African Moldavite? Thanks Mark ------=_NextPart_000_0065_01C29F6B.466D9920 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Mark/List,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><EM>Second try---I responded earlier to mark, but failed to get the = message=20 out to the whole list. From Mark's subsequent messages, it appears = that=20 the sellers are being a bit more open, but still not so on eBay. = Buyer=20 beware!</EM></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>I have corresponded with the folks selling faceted = "Tanzanian=20 tektites" on eBay. There is not a shred of solid evidence that = their=20 material is what they claim. They found some peculiar emerald = green=20 material in river alluvium, saw moldavites in some gemstone book and got = the=20 idea. Some college prof (virtually none of whom ever have any = training in=20 tektites---) told them they might be tektites.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>I have begged the sellers to at least qualify their = claims=20 with an appropriate expression of uncertainty. I see nothing = dishonest=20 about letting people gamble on uncertain material so long as they know = they are=20 gambling. At this point there is still no solid evidence that the = material=20 is <EM>not</EM> what they claim (other than the obvious fact that the = term=20 "Moldavite" is wrong in any case). If they should happen to be = right, the=20 specimens could be very valuable. However, with no solid data one = way or=20 the other, the odds are strongly against them. The only assured = tektites=20 from the entire African continent are the hundred or so specimens from = the Ivory=20 Coast (which are jet black like Indochinites). If I thought there = was any=20 good reason to hope that this material might be real, I would be first = to=20 bid! I haven't.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Since the sellers have refused to add these = suggested=20 qualifiers to their eBay listings, I can only conclude that they are now = making=20 a conscious choice to be dishonest (or less than honest), which tells = you=20 something. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Cheers, Merry Solstice and a Happy New Orbit to=20 all!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Norm Lehrman</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>(TektiteSource.com)</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20 style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B>=20 <A title=3Dmafer_at_domafer.com=20 href=3D"mailto:mafer_at_domafer.com">mafer@domafer.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20 title=3Dmeteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20 = href=3D"mailto:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com">meteorite-list@meteor= itecentral.com</A>=20 </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, December 07, = 2002 7:25=20 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [meteorite-list] = African=20 Moldavite</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Hi Folks</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>I'm wondering if any of you seasoned and = knowledgable people=20 know anything about African Moldavite?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Thanks</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Mark</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0065_01C29F6B.466D9920-- Received on Mon 09 Dec 2002 01:11:01 PM PST |
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