Description
The rarest things on Earth were formed by the most ordinary processes, repeated for eons. Breadcrust bombs are blobs of lava ejected from volcanoes that crack on the surface during flight — the interior continues expanding from dissolved gas while the outer skin cools and solidifies, producing the distinctive cracked-crust pattern. Stromboli has been erupting continuously for 2,000+ years; these bombs were formed in eruptions witnessed by human observers.
This specimen originates from Stromboli, Sicily, Italy, one of the world’s most significant localities for this type of material. Collectors and scientists have drawn from this region for generations, and for good reason: the combination of geological conditions here produces specimens of exceptional quality and clarity.
Every specimen is unique. Photographs approximate the visual experience, but the real thing — its weight, its luster under a raking light, the way it catches the corner of your eye — can only be experienced directly.
