Bechar 003 Lunar Feldspathic Breccia - 6.5g - Full Slice/Polished on One Side
Bechar 003 Lunar Feldspathic Breccia - 6.5g - Full Slice/Polished on One Side
This stunning lunar feldspathic breccia meteorite was discovered in Northwest Africa on March 24, 2022 by a meteorite hunting team. It exhibits light brown weathered exteriors, medium gray fresh interiors with white clasts and rare, tiny metal grains.
The analysis of this lunar stone was conducted by Tony Irving (UWS) and P. Carpenter (WUSL). Analysis revealed mineral clasts of calcic plagioclase (predominantly anorthite but also some sodic bytownite), olivine, low-Ca pyroxene and augite within a very fine grained, sparsely microvesicular matrix containing Ti-chromite, troilite, kamacite and minor secondary barite.
About Lunar Meteorites: Our moon lacks an atmosphere. When asteroids encounter these celestial bodies (which happens frequently), fragments eject from the impact and occasionally make their way into Earth’s orbit. If the stone survives its cataclysmic entry into Earth, it lands on the ground and becomes known as a meteorite. Once studied under a microscope by scientists, the stone's origin is then plotted based on its compositional property to the different classes of asteroids and samples returned to Earth. Lunar meteorites specifically are compared to samples returned by NASA's Apollo mission astronauts. From there, meteorites make their way into museums, universities and to the general public all around the world.
Shipping, Returns & Insurance
Shipping, Returns & Insurance
***Signed certificates of authenticity (by Brett) are provided with every meteorite order ***
***Cases are provided complementary with every order, as long as the meteorite fits***
***Scale cubes and stands do not come with your order ***
Shipping:
$8.00 domestic shipping.
International: Determined at checkout.
About how long will it take to receive my package?
We always mail packages through USPS Priority Mail (3 day delivery for Domestic) unless we are forced to use another provider.
For International mail, we've seen packages arrive anywhere from 15-30 days. Unfortunately, timing of delivery is out of our control once we mail the package, but we use the most trusted and reliable postal service in the United States and that time frame is what we typically see.
Do you recommend I get added insurance on my package?
It depends. If you are spending under $100, the package is typically insured automatically. If anything over $100 is spent, that will be up to you to decide. All packages automatically mail out without added insurance unless you tell us in advance that you'd like to add it. Once the package leaves our hands, it's out of our control.
With that being said, we HIGHLY suggest you insure your packages if you are spending a lot of money - it's the only way to ensure you are covered. For example: some of our Meteorites can be quite expensive. Say you purchased a Meteorite for $1,000 - The postal service will typically NOT cover you for more than $100 (should the package become lost or damaged) unless you requested additional insurance prior to the package label being printed. You would email us and request insurance (prior to making the purchase) for the price you paid for the meteorite, which covers you in the unfortunate case of a lost or damaged parcel. Depending on the location the package is going to, you may only qualify for partial insurance (this is determined by the postal service), but some insurance is better than none! We can inform you of the price and percentage of additional insurance prior to you making a purchase - you just need to let us know first!
Once the package leaves our hands, it becomes the responsibility of the post office to successfully deliver you the package. Rest assured - we use USPS Priority Mail, which has an outstanding track record. It is, and has always been up to the buyer to decide for additional insurance - this goes for anything you purchase from anywhere. Please connect with us PRIOR to purchasing so we can arrange additional insurance on your behalf, should you decide to want to do so.
If I am located outside of the United States, will I be charged import fees?
Every country is different. Please connect with your local postal service to get the answer to your question. The value you pay for the meteorite(s) from us will be exactly what is documented and presented on the customs form - not a penny less. While this may be inconvenient to our customers (and we completely sympathize with you for the outrageous, unnecessary expensive import fees), this is the law. Please do not request us to document it any differently - we assure you we won't.
Return Policy: We accept returns within 14 days of purchase, however, in order to be eligible for a refund to your original method of payment, details below must be adhered to:
Prior to your return, you must email us at ICMeteorites@gmail.com to receive a Return Authorization number. No returns will be accepted without contacting us first. You will be responsible for the cost of mailing the item back to us, and will receive a refund within 7 days minus the original shipping costs after our team quickly inspects and confirms the returned item's condition.
Item(s) must be returned in the condition in which they were received. We suggest you keep all the original packaging that it came in. Due to the nature and fragility of meteorites, they must arrive safely to us in order to qualify for the return.
If you have questions on how to package them correctly, do not hesitate to contact us prior to mailing it back. We will be more than happy to go over best practices, which vary from stone to stone.
Care Instructions
Care Instructions
How do I care for my meteorites?
For stony meteorites, you have very little to worry about outside of accidentally dropping and breaking the specimen.
With iron/stony-iron meteorites - you'll need to pay a little more attention to them. it's always a battle of humidity vs meteorite, and usually depends on where you live that will determine the level of extra attention that you'll need to give it. The higher the humidity, the bigger hit the meteorite will take. But with good habits, care and attention for your meteorites, you'll catch any issues before they ever become a serious problem.
If you are finding that you are running into any problems down the line, you might want to consider sending the meteorite in for restoration, which we can do for you for a small fee.
Depending on how you display an iron or stony-iron meteorite (in or out of a cabinet) will determine if you should consider purchasing a desiccant container or not. If it's being displayed inside of a cabinet, we suggest getting something like what's found in the link below to keep in the cabinet along with your meteorite: https://www.acehardware.com/departments/heating-and-cooling/air-quality/dehumidifiers/4205597
If you are storing it outside of a cabinet, just be sure to use a microfiber cloth every so often to (very, very gently) wipe any oils from your fingers off of it.
The following methods below are helpful advice for the care of your iron meteorites that you can follow if you desire to do so, however, this is to be done at your own risk. It is always best to send your specimen in for professional restoration:
If you have any rust appearing on the meteorite, consider using a little bit of CLR (found in most stores such as Lowes and even on Amazon, and apply it to the meteorite using distilled water. Wear gloves and gently scrub the solution into the meteorite. This usually removes rust the fastest, but you're not done yet! Rinse the stone off with distilled water and place it in the oven at approximately 150 degrees F for about 6 hours. This will take care of any remnant liquid left on the meteorite to prevent rust from forming. The iron will be very hot, so please use caution when handling while still in the oven.
When it comes to iron meteorites, we also suggest avoiding the use of membrane film cases. While they are fine to use for transportation from point A to point B, over time they trap moisture and can cause the meteorite to begin to rust.
If you bought a stony meteorite, you don't need to worry about rust - just its fragility. All meteorites have varying levels of fragility - some more than others. Always handle with care!
If you do not wish to attempt to clean your meteorite, we can do this for you. The fee for restoration is minimal, but depends on the size, type and condition of the meteorite in question. If you've waited too long to send in for restoration, it might require more work to rid the specimen of rust and moisture. If you've waited until the point of no return, you might have a meteorite that is too far gone for any restoration. Essentially, you will have killed your meteorite... don't kill your meteorite. It lasted 4.6 billion years before it met you. Do you want to be the reason you wiped it out of existence in such a short amount of time?