These Aletai meteorite spheres are made from the Aletai iron meteorite, first identified in 1898 in the Altay region of Xinjiang in northwest China. Classified as a coarse octahedrite iron meteorite, the material formed more than 4.5 billion years ago inside the core of an early asteroid. After cutting and polishing, the spheres are etched to reveal the Widmanstätten pattern, a distinctive nickel-iron crystal structure created during extremely slow cooling in space.
The surface of each sphere displays its own natural network of metallic crystal bands. These patterns developed over millions of years as the parent asteroid gradually cooled. Because of their unique crystalline structure and documented discovery, Aletai meteorite spheres are valued by collectors interested in authentic extraterrestrial material.