Moldavite: meaning, properties and lore

The mineral

It is classed as a silica-rich glass and is chemically homogeneous, occurring in the Central European strewn field. Its chemistry is in many respects identical to the composition of upper crustal material, and it is classed among the splash-form tektites.⁸¹²

Moldavite is formed by melting and quenching of terrestrial rocks during hypervelocity impact on the Earth, a view now commonly accepted on chemical grounds. Its source crater is presumed to be the Ries crater in Germany, which has a reliable link to the Central European field. It formed from the Nördlingen Ries bolide impact in southeastern Germany about 14.7 million years ago.^89123647

Moldavite is amorphous, with no crystal system or point group, and does not have a crystalline structure. It has a specific gravity of 2.32 and a refractive index of 1.48, and is isotropic. It shows no cleavage and has a conchoidal fracture with a vitreous to greasy lustre, and its Mohs hardness is 5 to 5.5.¹⁵²⁹

Moldavite's colour ranges from bottle green to olive green, and it is usually yellowish green, green, or greenish brown. The colour is caused by Fe2+ in the glass, and rare pale green examples occur. The green colour of natural moldavite is caused by a very low concentration of iron, and the stone is transparent to translucent, sometimes slightly grayish green.¹⁵²⁴³

Moldavite is found in gravel deposits along the Jihlavka river from Třebíč to Ivančice in Moravia, and in gravel deposits on the western edge of the Budějovice Tertiary basin. Its primary strewn field lies in south and west Bohemia and southern Moravia. It also occurs in the Ries crater area of Bavaria, and rarely as re-deposited specimens in Poland.^101116479

Moldavite is found in Middle to Upper Miocene sediments, mostly in the Czech Republic. Besednice in the Český Krumlov District of the South Bohemian Region is a source, and Besednice moldavites are widely considered the finest examples. Unbroken, well-formed moldavites with intact spires are rather rare.²³

Moldavite commonly contains lechatelierite, a high-temperature form of SiO2 visible as wires inside the stone, along with gas bubbles and occasional relict zircon and chromite grains from target rocks. Under the microscope it shows many gas bubbles but no microlites or inclusions, as in obsidian. Its surface is wrinkled, pitted or sculptured from aerodynamic ablation during atmospheric flight.¹⁶⁴¹⁰⁷

History and lore

The name moldavite is derived from the German name of the town Týn nad Vltavou, Moldauthein, where the first moldavites were officially discovered, and the name was first introduced in 1836 by F. X. M. Zippe, the first curator of the Natural History Museum in Prague.^71251110

Erdmann named moldavite a rare obsidian from Týn nad Vltavou in his 1832 work in the Jahrbuch für technische und ökonomische Chemie, and his analysis also found sodium, magnesium and manganese oxides. Martin Klaproth published the first chemical analysis of moldavite in the early 19th century, listing silica, magnesia, alumina and iron oxide as its main constituents.¹⁰

Makovský reported moldavite from Třebíč as having a specific gravity of 2.17 and a hardness between 6 and 6.5. Friedrich Hauer's laboratory analysis led Johann Habermann's assistant A. Wenclíček to conclude that moldavite is a natural glass that melts with difficulty, not an artificial glass.¹⁰²⁶⁷

Geologist F. E. Suess, in his 1900 work Die Herkunft der Moldavite und verwandter Gläser, grouped moldavites with billitonites and australites as tektites of cosmic origin. Moldavites are considered meteoritic glasses formed when meteorites struck the earth.¹¹⁹

Faceted moldavites were very popular in Czech jewelry during the second half of the 19th century, often set with Czech garnets or small river pearls. Moldavite has been cut into faceted and cabochon gemstones since the mid-1800s. Imitations made from green bottle glass began to appear at the beginning of the 20th century, diminishing moldavite use.⁴²

Birthstone, zodiac and chakra links

Moldavite is not considered a traditional birthstone, and the modern birthstone list was created by the Jewelers of America in 1912, which does not include it. Crystal practitioners nonetheless link it with the zodiac signs Gemini, Leo and Virgo, and with the planet Mercury, a link they make in modern practice.¹³¹⁴

Crystal practitioners say the zodiac links differ between lists, and the most common modern link is Virgo with Mercury. Some practitioners also associate it with Aquarius, Scorpio and Leo, which are modern practitioner lists rather than traditional ones.¹⁵¹⁴

Crystal practitioners associate moldavite with the heart and third eye chakras, and the link is modern.¹³¹⁵¹⁴

Moldavite's extraterrestrial origin gives it special appeal to many people interested in new age, astrological, and spiritual practices. New Age community members assign special powers to the stone, which has increased its value.²⁷

What crystal practitioners say

Crystal practitioners associate moldavite with the mind and with intuition. Crystal healers say the stone is sought out for its healing effects and can strengthen intuition. Believers say it helps release old patterns and beliefs so new opportunities can come into one's life.¹⁶¹⁵

Crystal writers in the United States describe moldavite as a stone of spiritual awakening that lifts consciousness and connects the user to higher planes. Believers say moldavite can enhance psychic abilities and help one connect with spiritual guides and beings.¹⁴¹⁵

Many users find that moldavite heightens awareness of subtle energies, helping them recognize and avoid toxic people or environments. Crystal practitioners say it is placed on the Third Eye during meditation to open deeper insight.¹³¹⁴¹⁵

Crystal healers place moldavite on or near the chakras during healing sessions to release emotional blockages. In these settings, they use it as a way to focus attention on the heart.¹³¹⁶

Practitioners say that placing a piece of selenite beside moldavite recharges it. Believers say moldavite can charge by placing it under moonlight, near clear quartz, or burying it in the ground.¹³¹⁵¹⁴

Believers say moldavite can alleviate allergies and improve eye conditions. Crystal practitioners hold these claims without testing that supports them.¹⁵

What testing has found

Ernst, who reviewed 150 complementary and alternative treatments, found no rigorous trials that test whether crystal healing has any therapeutic value. Jarry explains that the reputation of alternative medicine owes much to non-specific placebo effects and regression to the mean.¹⁷

A 2001 double-blind study by Chris French tested crystal healing with 80 participants meditating with either a real quartz crystal or a fake glass crystal. Participants felt warmth, tingling, or well-being that they were primed to feel, and were unable to tell real crystals from fake ones.¹⁸¹⁹

French's team concluded that crystals did not help people; the power of suggestion did. The 2001 crystal study's results have not been replicated in larger studies. Some researchers say crystals probably do not directly act on physical and psychological woes, but may have indirect benefits explained by the placebo effect.¹⁹

Ted Kaptchuk, a Harvard Medical School professor, said placebo effects in unconventional medicine can be dramatic and compelling to patients, and argued that discarding placebo effects diminishes knowledge of important dimensions of health care. Permutt, who is unsure how crystals affect the body, said there is no proven link between crystals and the body.¹⁹

There is no scientific evidence that moldavite has any medical effectiveness beyond being a placebo. Dr. B. Ježek argued against a cosmic origin, holding that the surface sculpture is due to chemical corrosion, which he reproduced artificially with hydrofluoric acid. Imitation moldavite can be identified by FTIR spectroscopy, which showed absorption bands confirming an artificial glass.²¹¹⁶