Rizalites & Bikolites!!!
We have a nice selection of the finest Philippinites that we have ever seen on the market. The Bikolite-types were acquired over a 7-year period from placer gold miners on Luzon. We bought all we could get, and there's no assurance that we'll be able to get any more when these are gone, so don't procrastinate. The Rizalites are from two other old collections, including a selection of monsters from the collection of the late H. Otley Beyer, the father of Philippine tektites. Beyer first recognized and described these in 1926 and proceeded to assemble the finest Philippinite collection in history.
There are two basic types: classic spheres with amazing breadcrust ornamentation, and phenomenally grooved curved
polygonal flakes. Although I have never seen this written up, it is clear that the two types are related in the
following fashion:
The deeply ornamented polygonal flakes typically have rounded concave basal surfaces (as in image #2). These surfaces nicely match their counterparts on the breadcrust sphereoids in both curvature and polygonal form. This relationship indicates that the crust of the primary bodies initially developed deep, complex grooving and a relatively systematic pattern of breadcrust cracks. In the advanced stages of this process, concentric shells split away from the cores, possible due to thermal expansion of the outer surface during their final plunge through the atmosphere. Note that image #4 above is an actual specimen with part of the textured crust still attached. It forms a perfect series with image #3, but different specimens are involved.
It is also interesting that the relative abundance of the two types matches what the above model would predict: every ball has around a dozen polygonal uplands, which we would suppose would yield an equivalent number of polygonal flakes; that is to say that the ratio of balls to flakes should be around 1 to 12. In our inventory, the ratio is about 1 to 15----close enough!
Following is our present inventory. Please email us for detailed images of specific specimens if desired. Variations
in price per gram reflect our perception of relative quality. This is amazing stuff!
Illustrations are linked to larger images. Click
on the small photo to see the blowup in a new window, then close that window to return
to this page.
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GIGANTIC Rizalite Spereoid! 592.5 grams! One of less than about 20 specimens known at this size or larger! | From the collection of the late H.O. Beyer, first to describe Philippine Tektites. Sphere,
quite symmetrical. 86mm/3.4" diameter. No chips. Museum Piece! #Rizal5925: |
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Another WHOPPER! 592.1 gms. New 2003 listing | Huge oblate sphereoid in immaculate condition. Recently discovered at Bato Balani, Bikol Peninsula, Luzon. 88mm diam. (3.45") X 65 mm thick (2.56"). #Rizal5921: $750Sold |
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Another GIANT! 405.6 grams! Ovoid. | Another from the H. Otley Beyer estate. This one is ovoid in both plan and section with
decent grooving. Glossy, a couple of tiny chips. #Rizal4056: $ |
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Glorious Grooved Monster at 349.0 grams! | Another from the H. Otley Beyer estate. Spectacular oblate sphereoid with scarab-like
groove pattern (smooth hemispheric reverse side). No chips. #Rizal3490: $ |
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346.1 gm Irregular! | Another from the H. Otley Beyer estate. Odd shape with interesting "sawcut" grooves up to 17mm deep. Couple of small chips and moderately abraded skin. #Rizal3461: $250 |
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Nicely breadcrusted 291.0 gm lunker! Shows Bikolite detachement surface. | About 2/3rds of the exterior is original exterior skin; 1/3 is a smoothly convex surface where Bikolite flakes detached. Important illustrative specimen. Several chips along groove edges. #Rizal2910: $350 |
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New 2003 Listing! One of the finest breadcrust spheres ever! Symmetrical & deeply grooved |
This is a real beauty. They just don't come any nicer. Glossy & flawless. #Rizal2855: $ |
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CLASSIC breadcrusted sphereoid at a whopping 262.4 grams---a quarter kilo! | Exceptional museum-grade specimen completely covered with polygonal uplands and deep furrows. No chips. #Rizal2624:Sold $ |
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And another CLASSIC! breadcrusted oblate sphereoid at 242.7 grams. | Deep glossy grooves, hemispheric uplands, no chips---this is what great Rizalites are all about! #Rizal2427: $ |
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New 2003 Listing! Super glossy and flawless. 234.9 gms | This year we acquired 3 new breadcrusts selected from an offering of about 40. This is one of them, the best of
the best. Grooves up to 7 mm deep! #Rizal2349: |
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Drop-dead Gorgeous Museum Piece as good as they get! 209.6 grams |
Probably the finest specimen of this type we have ever encountered. Deeply grooved and ornamented with about 15 bulging polygonal uplands. #Rizal2096: $750Sold |
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I run out of superlatives. Here's another FINE 202.5 gram soccer ball! | One side deeply ornamented, the other a smoother hemisphere where a large bikolite-type spall has popped away. No chips. An excellent piece! #Rizal2025: $425Sold |
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A fine illustrative specimen with most of Bikolite-type crust in place. 180.5 gram sphereoid. | One large Bikolite-type chip has exploded away yielding a typical smooth hemispheric surface; the balance retains poygons of pitted original crust! #Rizal1805: $350Sold |
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New 2003 Listing! Grooves up to 10mm deep! 164.7 gms. | Interesting form---a bit wedge shaped in side view with to open-end seemingly inflated and distended with emphasized deep ornamentation. Super glossy. #Rizal1647: $300 |
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Oblate sphereoid with DEEP equatorial groove suggestive of splatform deformation. 157.8 gms | Has a thin exfoliated flake/chip on basal surface. Nicely breadcrusted over about 2/3 of surface! #Rizal1578: $300 |
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Interesting half sphere. 173.1 gms | Top surface is typically breadcrusted, but lower surface is relatively smooth and glossy with a couple of short grooves and tiny hemispheric pits. One glassy chip on upper surface. From the H. Otley Beyer estate. #Rizal1731: $190Sold |
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Odd killer whale-shaped specimen 167.7 gms | Another from the H. Otley Beyer estate. Glossy irregular form with a curving sawcut groove, a knobby side protuberance, and assorted pits. Very nice piece! #Rizal1677: $225 |
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Great piece to illustrate the relationship between bikolite-type crusts and soccer-ball rizalites!! 98.0 gms | Two dramatically undercut Bikolite skin platforms remain attached while hemispheric polygons show where others exploded away. Exceptionally clear illustration of concept!. #Rizal980: $Sold |
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Here's one that will make you believe that hemispheric skin pits started as bubbles. Sharp, vesiculated skin. 92.3 gms | Out of the hundreds of thousands of tektites we have handled, this is the one I would choose to illustrate skin pitting originating in gas bubbles! Specimen has a couple of biggish glassy chips, but the vesiculated skin keeps this one important. From the H. Otley Beyer estate. #Rizal923: $125 |
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Large concavo-convex crust fragment. 76.1 gms | Another from the H. Otley Beyer estate. Most surfaces ornamented with small pits, but
the convex side does have some short grooves. No chips. #Rizal761: |
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Two undercut pedestals retain original skin. Balance of surface has shed crust and is one step away from a typical grooved Rizalite biscuit. 65.9 gms | A Nice smaller piece illustrating Bikolite/Rizalite relationships. No chips. #Rizal659: $75 |
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Highly irregular form. 65.0 gms | Another from the H. Otley Beyer estate. A total freeform with good grooving . #Rizal650: $45 |
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A classic grooved lenticular biscuit.63.9 gms | Another from the H. Otley Beyer estate. Lens-shaped with smooth lower surface and grooved top. Very symmetrical. No chips. #Rizal639: $60 |
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Another great lenticula biscuit at 49.9 gms | Sharply ornamented lens, grooved on one side, smooth on the other. Great classic form. No chips. #Rizal499: $50 |
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Edge-ornamented lensoid. 49.4 gms | Here, one edge of the lens is deep incised with sawcut grooving while the rest is relatively smooth. No chips.
#Rizal494: $ |
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Fine little oblate sphereoid. 41.7 gms | As is commonly the case, one side is nicely grooved, the other is smooth. Nice symmetrical piece. No chips. #Rizal417: $35 |
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Oblate oval form with arcuate grooves resembling fingernail impressions. 33.8 gms | Another from the H. Otley Beyer estate. Pretty little specimen with nice ornamentation.
#Rizal338: |
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Sharp, rugged small-scale crustal character. 27.7 gms | Resembles ornamentation on some Bediasites! Unusual skin, more fissured or cracked than grooved. Does have some small glassy chips. #Rizal277: $25 |
Bikol-type Specimens.
Most of these have a relatively smooth, concave lower surface and a convex, deeply ornamented upper surface. See introductory text and illustrations.
