“Due to cooling over billions of years in space,” he writes, “the crystalline structure has relaxed from millions of sides to only eight sides,” thus leaving a definitive pattern between the nickel and the iron. (Caleb Royer edited image)
- Model: Small push dagger
- Maker: Tristan Dare
- Blade Material: Forged octahedrite meteorite of nickel and iron inlaid with 24k gold
- Handle Material: Stabilized mammoth tooth
Seventeen-year-old Tristan Dare’s meteorite push dagger is not only a visual stunner, it is forged from what may be the oldest meteorite ever.
The meteorite is what Tristan says is of the oldest octahedrite variety ever discovered, and, quite possibly, the oldest meteorite ever found on Earth. What’s more, he was able to get the meteorite to retain its pattern after heating, what he says is a rare achievement in and of itself.
“Meteorite is quite often referred to as a ‘magical’ steel, not only because it’s from space but because when it’s heated [over 900°F], the pattern disappears. Forever. But few have experimented to try and keep the pattern—and that’s exactly what I did,” he wrote to BLADE. “After a little help I was able to successfully forge the meteorite, heat treat it, temper it and still keep the pattern. Very few blades have achieved this outcome, and I’m very proud to be the maker of this piece.”
What is Meteorite?
“Meteorite,” “meteor,” “asteroid” and “comet” get thrown around quite a bit, and are often used interchangeably. “Meteorite,” however, refers to something specific.
From New Scientist:
It’s all about location and size. Roughly speaking, an asteroid is a relatively small body (that isn’t a comet), usually rocky or metallic, composed of dirt and ice. Small asteroids are also called meteoroids. When an asteroid or meteoroid enters the atmosphere and streaks through the sky, it then becomes known as a meteor. Anything that survives the impact is a meteorite.
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