James Hislop, Head of Science and Natural History Department at Christie’s British House – the world’s leading art auction house – said that the Libyan desert contains a quality of rare glass resulting from the impact of the earth’s rocks by giant meteorites or comets.
Heslop added in an interview published by various media outlets that the most famous glass is that found in the Libyan desert in the border area between Egypt and Libya, explaining that this happened 29 million years ago; As a result of a massive collision with an asteroid, resulting in the desert sands melting into this form of glass.
The British scientist confirmed that a piece of glass found in the Libyan desert was sold last year for an estimated amount of $20,000.
Hislop pointed out that British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered in 1922 a large piece of Libyan glass in the tomb of the pharaoh “Tutankhamun” carved in the form of a pharaonic scarab attached to a beautiful necklace that has been untouched for more than 3,000 years.
Heslop explained that the color of the glass can vary from bright white to dark yellow depending on the mineralization of the molten material, with much of it used in carvings, with more colorful materials especially prized by jewelers.