'Space gems': Rare meteorites created in violent celestial collision

'Space gems': Rare meteorites created in violent celestial collision: A tiny fraction of meteorites on Earth contain strikingly beautiful, translucent, olive-green crystals embedded in an iron-nickel matrix. Called pallasites, these "space gems" have fascinated scientists since they were first identified as originating from outer space more than 200 years ago. Now a new study shows that their origins were more dramatic than first thought.