Just reported from dealers at the 2007 Tokyo Mineral Show , certain Asian counterfeiters have taken molds from real moldavites and produced resin/glass copies. These are already showing up on eBay commanding high prices as new buyers are unaware of the new scam. This might have gone unnoticed were it not for tables-full of identical "stones"--many wire wrapped; many offered as bona fide moldavite specimens.
Clues to the copies include identical weights- typically in carats, "flipped photos" of identical shape and features ( e.g one up and one down on another auction), lighter and more opaque green color, ridges and spines are less crisp and sharp on the fakes. A give-away for sure is multiple auctions from multiple dealers with identical photos and weights. Be it remembered that as with all tektites, moldavites, and meteorites-- no two specimens are alike, rarely are they even similar. At this writing the number of molds and number of casts from each mold are undetermined. Molds wear down with multiple castings so counterfeits tend to get worse toward the end of a production run.
This information has been verified by experienced meteorite dealers and by a survey of current offerings on eBay showing identical material in separate auctions. The fact that the identical photos are being used but changed in orientation strongly suggests that there is no mistake and that the dealers auctioning these know that they are fakes.
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