Carbonaceous chondrites are the most primitive rocks we have — the least altered leftovers of the solar nebula, so pristine that some grains inside them are older than the Sun itself. They carry water, organic molecules, and the calcium-aluminium inclusions that were the first solids to condense in the young solar system. This is the material that made planet-building possible, essentially unchanged.
Ashen Reach is a CV3: a matte charcoal-black stone flecked with pale, irregular inclusions and fine metal. It looks unassuming — like a lump of coke — and it is arguably the most scientifically important thing we stock. Fragments are sold sealed, because carbonaceous material is soft, a little friable, and best handled as little as possible.
We grade it 9.3 for what it represents rather than how it dazzles. If your collection is a story about where the solar system came from, this is the first chapter, and it belongs near the front.
