|
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.
Cheers, Merry Solstice and a Happy New Orbit to
all!
Norm Lehrman
(TektiteSource.com)
|
