Natural Moldavite | 2.42g | Nesmen Les

With its wild, almost botanical silhouette, this 2.42g Moldavite is a particularly expressive specimen from Nesmen Les, Czech Republic. Instead of a conventional rounded form, the stone spreads into an arrangement of natural peaks, lobes and jagged projections, giving it a distinctive sculptural presence.

The surface is wonderfully complex. Sharp ridges intersect with deep channels, small cavities and folded glass formations, while the perimeter breaks into delicate, uneven edges. Viewed from different angles, these features make the specimen resemble anything from a crumpled leaf to a miniature landscape.

Its colour is equally dynamic. The body carries a rich olive-green tone, deepening considerably through the thicker central sections. Towards the thinner edges and projecting points, the glass becomes noticeably more translucent, allowing light to illuminate the stone in brighter green shades.

This difference in colour is largely an optical effect created by the specimen's unusual thickness. Light travelling through the thicker portions passes through more natural glass and therefore appears darker, while the thinner sections transmit more light. The many angled surfaces further manipulate that light, producing flashes of brightness along the ridges and pockets of shadow within the deeper etching.

There is something particularly appealing about the contrast between its delicate-looking extremities and heavier central body. It gives the specimen depth without losing the intricate, finely sculpted character associated with desirable Nesmen Les material.

Nesmen Les — les meaning “forest” in Czech — is a prized Moldavite locality known especially for specimens with impressive natural etching. Mining the deposits is difficult, and comparatively few quality pieces emerge from the area, making strongly sculpted examples particularly desirable to collectors.

What is Moldavite & where is it from?

Moldavite is a rare tektite or meteoric glass, caused by an asteroid impact 15 million years ago. The intense, 10,000°C+ temperatures of the strike vapourised the asteroid, target rock and sand, flinging the molten substance high into the atmosphere.

From the impact zone in Germany some 300km away, it landed back to earth in what is now the Czech Republic and as it flew, it cooled and solidified into translucent green, glass-like droplets of various shapes and sizes.

It is said that only 1% of what had originally fallen is still intact to this day and the estimates of the total amount of Moldavite remaining is under 300 tonnes. In comparison with gold or diamonds, this makes Moldavite 1000x rarer.

99% of all Moldavite is found in a small area in the southern part of the Czech Republic. It can be found on the surface but the highly prized, well-preserved specimens are found up to 6 metres underground.

Moldavite NZ

Moldavite NZ is a small family business and collectors hub based in New Zealand. We are the only exclusive Moldavite dealer in the Southern Hemisphere. We source all of our Moldavite directly through our family and trusted contacts in the Czech Republic. All of our Moldavite and jewellery is guaranteed for authenticity by a 100% money-back guarantee.