ABOUT US

 

 Foundational Principles


MeteArt - the union of Meteorites and Art - evolved naturally from my professional career and personal interests.   Fueled by passion and guided by foundational values, I find it extraordinary that we can actually own and wear a genuine piece of extra-terrestrial material.  My interest derived from the path that my life traced through a career in the Canadian Air Force as an aerospace engineer that culminated as the chief engineer responsible for engineering management of the CF-18 fleet, the Snowbirds aerobatic display team, and UAVs. That success with operational support led to 12 years at the Canadian Space Agency as Director of the Astronaut Program and then Program Lead for Planetary Exploration and Space Astronomy.  This combination of unique experience ingrained uncompromising quality, rigor, and exacting technical standards as a work ethic. Embodied in this rich experience are the core principles for MeteArt jewelry: scientific proof of authenticity, enlisting artisans with exquisite skills & artistry, and a commitment to quality that is absolute.


 

 

 

How MeteArt came to be


MeteArt was born from a search for the most spectacular and profoundly meaningful wedding gift when my daughter was to be married at an elaborate Indian wedding hosted by the family of the groom.  I wondered how I could show my appreciation for the most extraordinary week of celebration. With this in mind, months before the wedding, I happened to come across some beautiful iron-nickel meteorites about thumbnail size, which fascinated me. I bought them in their natural form and after considerable research, had them transformed them into two pairs of impressive extra-terrestrial cufflinks that I presented to the groom and his father with words to the effect that these space gems that descended from the heavens hundreds of years ago were 4.6 billion years old.  They were created at the birth of our solar system, and are the oldest matter that you will ever touch. Having survived an infernal entry through Earth's atmosphere, they symbolize resilience and strength that will endure eternally, and, born from the heavens, they were held sacred by our aboriginal ancestors. These qualities are symbolic of a strong marriage and reflect the character of the family with whom we unite in celebration.

James Philip Doherty, président de Météart

Meteart president James Philip Doherty

Commitment to quality


MeteArt meteorites are artistically polished, welded, and engraved by artisans in Montreal & Toronto. This ma-007 cufflink was finished by an expert who polishes for Birks' flagship store.  Every MeteArt meteorite bares a laser engraved serial number (or personal message) to tie it to the ICP-MS report of authenticity.

Packaging that defies gravity


Another unique aspect of MeteArt is an extraordinary jewelry box that defies gravity.  MeteArt cufflinks are not tucked into a crease or held by clip or elastic, but securely gripped on the interior cushion by an invisible force that will surprise you.

Scientific Proof of authenticity


People ask, "How do you know they're real?"  Analogous to a GIA (Gemological Institute of America) certificate for diamonds, MeteArt provides scientific proof of authenticity by destructively testing lot samples of meteorites at an independent laboratory by ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectroscopy).  ICP-MS is an analytical technique used in material earth sciences that involves vaporizing a sample of a meteorite. The vaporized material is ionized by induction through a plasma flame and then analyzed by mass spectrometry, to detect its elements and measure their concentration.  A plot of the material elements is generated to produce a distribution map. Most importantly, a scientist interprets the analytical results to compare the concentrations of Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, Ge, As, W, Re, Ir, Pt, and Au in the specimen with published research from scientific reports to verify whether they match. The comparison is illustrated in the chart below. If concentrations of the 12 elements in the specimen match the published values within admissible analytical error, then the specimen is confirmed to be genuine. There is no better method of proof.