Meteorites from asteroids, the Moon and Mars, and glass formed by meteorite impacts.
A meteorite is a piece of another world, and its scientific identity is part of what you own. Every
recognised meteorite has an official name and classification published by the Meteoritical Society.
A specimen without that link is, for most collectors, just an interesting stone.
Getting Started
ordicio sorts meteorites the way the Meteoritical Bulletin does:
Stony meteorites: chondrites, the most common falls, and achondrites,
including rare martian and lunar meteorites.
Iron meteorites, often etched to show their Widmanstätten pattern.
Stony-iron meteorites: pallasites with olivine crystals in metal,
and mesosiderites.
Tektites and impact glass, such as moldavite and Libyan desert
glass - not meteorites themselves, but made by impacts.
Collectors often aim for one specimen of each main type, for witnessed falls, or for meteorites of
one country.
What to Record
Official name and classification as published in the Meteoritical Bulletin database, for
example “NWA 869, L3-6”.
Fall or find: a fall was seen to come down and recovered soon after; a find was discovered later.
Total known weight of the meteorite and the weight of your specimen.
Specimen type: individual, fragment, slice, end cut or etched part slice.
Shock stage and weathering grade: shock from S1 (unshocked) to S6, weathering from W0 (fresh)
to W6, as reported.
Provenance: the dealer or finder, and the certificate or label that ties the specimen to its
name.
Care and Storage
Most meteorites contain iron, which rusts. Keep them dry - in a sealed box with silica gel - and touch
them with gloves. Never wash a meteorite with water. Slices and etched irons need extra care, as rust
spreads from the cut surface.
Mistakes to Avoid
Buying an unclassified stone sold as “meteorite” without any documentation.
Storing iron-bearing specimens in a humid room.
Recording the name but not the specimen weight, which collectors and buyers ask for first.
The 32 fields worth recording for meteorites & tektites, grouped as in the
ordicio app.
Identification
Official name Text
Name as approved by the Meteoritical Society (Meteoritical Bulletin Database), e.g. Allende, NWA 869.
Classification Text
Group and petrologic type as published, e.g. L6, CV3, Eucrite-mmict, IIIAB, Pallasite (PMG).
Fall or find Choice
Whether the fall was observed or the meteorite was found later.
Observed fall
Find
Fall date Date
Date of the observed fall.
Reference link Link
Web page about this object or its reference entry (catalogue, database, sale).
Specimen
Specimen type Choice, or your own
What part of the meteorite this specimen is.
Complete individual
Fragment
Slice
Part slice
End cut
Thin section
Micromount
Weight (g) Number
Weight of the object (without stand, frame or holder unless noted).
Height (cm) Number
Height, measured upright as the object is meant to stand or hang.
Width (cm) Number
Width, measured from the front.
Depth (cm) Number
Depth, measured from front to back.
Total known weight (kg) Number
Total known weight (TKW) of the meteorite as recorded.
Main mass holder Text
Institution or collection that holds the main mass.
Classification details
Published petrological data.
Shock stage Choice
Shock metamorphism stage of ordinary chondrites (Stoeffler et al.).
S1 (unshocked)
S2 (very weakly shocked)
S3 (weakly shocked)
S4 (moderately shocked)
S5 (strongly shocked)
S6 (very strongly shocked)
Weathering grade Choice
Terrestrial weathering of the metal and sulfides (Wlotzka), W0 fresh to W6 heavily altered.
W0
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
Origin
Locality Text
Exact find site, as specific as possible, e.g. quarry, mine and level, beach, outcrop.
Country Text
Country of origin or issue, by its usual English name (historic states as named at the time, e.g. Kingdom of Bavaria).
Coordinates Place
Geographic position of the locality (keep private for sensitive sites).
Collected by Text
Person who collected or excavated the specimen.
Collection date Date
Date the specimen was collected in the field.
Condition
Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Certificate / expertise Text
Certificates of authenticity or expert opinions, with issuer, date and number.
Acquisition
How and when the object came into the collection.
Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
Purchase
Auction
Gift
Inheritance
Exchange / trade
Self-collected / found
Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).
Value
Estimated and insured value.
Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
Own estimate
Recent sales / auction results
Dealer offer
Catalogue value
Professional appraisal
Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.
Collection record
Your own inventory data.
Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.
Standards and References
The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:
Nickel-Strunz classification, 10th edition (classes 1 to 10); IMA list of mineral species; mindat.org localities
AFMS and dealer usage for specimen size classes (thumbnail, miniature, small cabinet, cabinet)
IUGS classification of igneous rocks (QAPF), standard sedimentary/metamorphic classes
Meteoritical Society nomenclature, Meteoritical Bulletin Database; shock stages S1 to S6 (Stoeffler et al.), weathering grades W0 to W6 (Wlotzka)
GIA diamond grading (colour D to Z, clarity FL to I3, cut); CIBJO / LMHC nomenclature for gem treatments; pearl value factors
Updated October 24, 2026
Analytics cookies? We'd like to use Google Analytics to see which guides and help pages are useful. It sets cookies and sends usage data to Google (USA). Nothing else is tracked.
Privacy
