29 million years ago, a meteor struck the Sahara and left behind something extraordinary.
It eventually found its way onto my workbench.
Libyan Desert Glass, pale champagne through to honey gold, formed by meteor impact 29 million years ago
There are some materials that stop you. Not because they are beautiful in an obvious way, but because they feel like they are carrying something, a weight that does not come from density, a presence that does not come from colour alone.
Libyan Desert Glass is one of those materials.
Formed approximately 29 million years ago when a meteor struck the Saharan desert with enough force to fuse the sand itself into glass, the material scattered across a remote corridor between Egypt and Libya. Pale champagne fragments. Some tipping into a deeper honey gold. Sitting just beneath the surface, waiting to be found.
"I first saw it at the Egyptian Geological Museum, a huge piece on display. There was something about its scale and glow that didn't feel like any other mineral I'd seen. It felt ancient, like you were looking at a moment in time that had somehow been preserved."
That encounter, ten years ago, stayed with Jean. It is the kind of material that lodges in your memory — not because it demands attention, but because it has an internal quality. A soft glow, when light moves through it, that is difficult to put into words without sounding like you are reaching for something. But it is real.
Tutankhamun wore it first
The most famous piece of Libyan Desert Glass ever set into jewellery is the scarab at the centre of Tutankhamun's pectoral. The Egyptians who worked it did not know what it was. They only knew it was rare and that it glowed. They carved it into a scarab,a symbol of transformation, protection, and the sun moving across the sky, and placed it with their king.
It is difficult to work with a material like this and not feel the weight of that lineage. Jean's Egyptian Anniversary Collection is not incidentally Egyptian in its design language. It is the only honest choice for a stone that was placed in a pharaoh's tomb 3,000 years ago.
Authentic material in a market full of fakes
The supply of genuine Libyan Desert Glass is limited, geographically remote, and increasingly regulated. As with any rare natural material that has found a collector following, convincing fakes exist in the market.
Jean sources her desert glass through the same trusted European dealer she uses for her moldavite. Provenance is not a box to tick. It is the difference between working with a material that holds its story and working with something that only appears to.
Each stone is cut into a rosecut form, a deliberate choice. The low, domed profile and gently faceted surface catches light softly, drawing out the internal glow of the glass rather than overwhelming it. No two stones read the same. Jean keeps that individuality intact in every piece.
Part of the Egyptian Anniversary Collection — available now
Libyan Desert Glass Scarab Amulets — part of the Egyptian Anniversary Collection
Each piece begins as desert sand. It is transformed by an event so extreme that it cannot be replicated. It is found, sourced, cut, and eventually shaped by hand into something a person can wear close to their body.
"Working with Libyan Desert Glass is a reminder that jewellery can carry more than just aesthetic value. It can hold time, place, and transformation within it."
The Libyan Desert Glass Scarab Amulets are available now as part of the Egyptian Anniversary Collection. This is not a material that can simply be restocked — the supply is what it is. If this piece has been calling to you, now is the time.
EGYPTIAN ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION