001/757
Origin: Utah, United States
Our current lot contains smaller (3/4" - 1") 25-30 pieces per pound, medium sizes ( 1 1/4 "- 1 1/2") approximately 10 pieces per pound and larger sizes (2"- 2 1/4") approximately 4 pieces per pound.
Please inform us in the Notes field as to your size preference or what mix of sizes you want.
These specimens are commonly called Moqui Marbles or Shaman Stones after the Moqui Indians who inhabited the lands where they are found in the Navajo Sandstone Formation in Escalante, Utah. Found during the excavation of ancient ruins some archeologists believe they have been used for centuries by Shamans and other mystics. In Hopi the word Moqui means "dearly departed ones". According to Hopi legend, in the evening Hopi ancestors descend from heaven with the marbles and play games. At sunrise, they return to heaven and leave the marbles behind to indicate to their loved ones that they are happy.
Keeping Moqui marbles in the home is considered a sign of welcome to ones ancestors.
Moqui Marbles are iron concretions encasing pink sand from the seas that covered Utah millions of years ago. They are found at the base of the Navajo Sandstone and are thought to be 130 to 135 million years old. These were once Mollusks which were trapped in a huge flood of sand. The juices of their bodies were pulled to the outside as they deteriorated leaving their centers hollow. Through the years, water filtered through their sand-formed outer rings, filling their centers with fine sand while the water deposited its iron in the outer shell which contained phosphorous and lime, from the Mollusk's bodies.
