NWA 5549 Silicated Iron Meteorite - 252.9g Full Slice!

Iron meteorites consist of almost entirely nickel and iron.  During the early years of our solar system, large asteroids melted and its nickel and iron sank to the core of the asteroid.  NWA 5549 is a beautiful example of a silicated iron meteorite! Very little amounts of this material have been made available to the market. 

NWA 5549 meteorite is one of the prettiest irons on the market due to its beautiful pattern and it's obvious silicate mineral inclusions.  Most iron meteorites don't have silicate minerals inside, but this one does, due to the fact that it comes from the "IAB" grouping of meteorites.  

About Iron Meteorites:

Iron meteorites consist of almost entirely nickel and iron.  During the early years of our solar system, large asteroids melted and its nickel and iron sank to the core of the asteroid. Depending on the specific group and sub type of an iron meteorite, its crystal structure (also known as a Widmanstätten pattern) can be revealed through acid etching - a process that requires skillful work from a professional who will properly stabilize, slice and polish a meteorite prior to the etching phase.  This pattern is what we call a meteorite's thumbprint - a unique pattern that cannot be reproduced on any terrestrial iron and requires cooling of 1 single degree every 10,000 years.