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Direct Links to popular gemstones and cabochons:
Amazonite
Opals, Boulder
Parrot Wing Understand mm sizes: Quick guide: 1" = 25mm 1/2"=13mm 1/4"=6.5mm Change can help: 1 quarter= 24.2 mm 1 dime= 18mm Both coins: 42mm |
Fossils are wondrous things--the bodies of ancient creatures who lived hundreds of millions of years ago. In most fossils, the boney parts of the animals--shells or skeletons--were trapped in sediments and were replaced by minerals, as though they slowly turned to stone. Most fossils are too large and cumbersome to become jewelry, but through careful searching, I am now able to offer fossil cabochons that will add interest and mystery to your jewelry designs. ON THIS
PAGE: Picasso Ammonite Brown Ammonite in Matrix
Whole Ammonite Pendants Ammonite Negatives Ammonite Drilled Pendants
Bristlecone Pine Forest Oolite
Fossil Leaf and Fern Pendants Boy, are these lovely! These palm leaves and ferns grew in the lush tropical forests of Illinois and Missouri 320 million years ago. They were trapped in mud concretions, which fossilized over time. Fossil hunters look for small oval or round rocks, and if they are skilled enough to crack the rocks open correctly, the leaf ends up in one half (called the positive impression), and its imprint (or negative impression) is visible on the other half. The negatives are just as pretty as the positives, and often contain details down to the veins in each leaflet. Each of these pieces is top-drilled, and a pin is inserted and a jump ring is attached. Add your favorite bail or string between beads and you have the centerpiece of a wonderful natural necklace--320 million years old! The backs are rounded, and although they are not polished, they are smooth to the touch (like dried mud!).
FS350 $46.00
Picasso Ammonite Anyone familiar with the great artist's work will immediately understand how this stone got its name--It's Nature imitating the drawings of Pablo Picasso! Imported from Morocco, these stunning pieces are immediate attention-grabbers. Note that some of them come pre-drilled for instant pendants. The spiral shells are ammonites, an ancient relative of today's nautilus and squids. The bullet-shaped fossils are most likely an ammonite viewed from the side. Be sure to click on the photos to see the wonderful designs better. Note: Cabs have polished fronts and satin-finished backs. All drilled pendants are polished on both sides. Imagery continues on the backs of these.
FS541 $67.50
FS544 $54.00
FS548 $65.00
All of these wonderful pieces have satin-finish backs, unless otherwise noted. Unlike the Picasso Ammonites, there is not much of a pattern on the reverse of these. That's fine, because the fronts are so amazing.
FS550 $68.00 Sorry, Sold!
FS551 $62.50
Brown Ammonites in Matrix These beauties sport gorgeous fall colors, browns, golds, tans--all interspersed with black. Gorgeous designs! All but the last one are flat-faced and are about 3.5 to 4mm thick. Some have a mother-of-pearl backing to strengthen them.
FS563 $59.50
FS564 $50.00
FS567 $29.50
Whole Ammonite Fossil Pendants These magnificent--and rare--fossils are of the whole, entire cephalopod shell. The colors and details that you see on the front continue onto the back, and their three-dimensional surfaces are entirely polished. The beautiful details allow you to see how these relatives of today's chambered nautilus got their name: The spiral curve of the shell resembles the curve of a ram's horn, so they were named after the ancient Egyptian god Ammon, who also had ram's horns. These would make spectacular pendants--Just think, you'd be wearing the actual fossilized shell of a creature that lived 150 million years ago! Please note sizes. Please also note that these are not man-made; instead, they are actual fossils, so the occasional imperfections are natural and do not detract from the beauty or value of the piece. Opalized Ammonite Pendants These are just stunning: It's the entire ammonite fossil, now a highly polished, solid stone piece, with lots of pretty patterning. Best of all, much of each piece is opalized, so it glimmers with an aurora borealis of reds, yellows, and in some pieces, greens as well.
FS595 $125.00
FS597 $98.00
FS599 $56.00
The differing coloration and patterning of these is due to their being different species. All are whole and smooth and, because they are solid stone, are pretty hefty, polished front and back. I don't know the species so I've distinguished them by color and shape.
FS604 $70.00
FS606 $62.00
FS608 $64.00
FS609 $58.00
FS610 $70.00
FS611 $65.00
FS612 $45.00
Whole Pyritized Ammonite Pendants These rare pieces are actual ammonite fossils that have been converted by natural processes into pyrite. Backs are detailed just like the fronts.
FS614 $50.00
Pyritized Ammonite Negative Pendants These are not fossils actually; they are the imprints of the places where ammonite shells rested. These imprints became impregnated with pyrite (hence the term pyritized), and they are the negative image of the shell. The smooth, curved backs of these are the matrix, or surrounding material, which is a charcoal grey. These look heavy, but they are relatively lightweight.
FS619 $50.00
FS624 $38.50
FS617 $50.00
Ammonite Drilled Pendants I found these fun pendants at the Denver Fossil Show. They are real ammonites from Morocco, where they were mined, cut and polished--most likely by hand. They show the wonderful diversity of these creatures. All are 5 to 6.5mm thick and all are polished on both sides. They were priced according to the clarity of their fossil image, and whether they have a pattern on the reverse as well. All-natural. Click on photos to see details.
FS309 $24.00
FS318 $16.99
FS319 $16.99
FS320 $13.99
FS321 $13.99
FS322 $13.99
FS327 $9.99
FS334 $9.99
FS341 $5.99 Sorry, Sold!
Bristlecone Pine Forest Oolite Oolite describes a sedimentary rock formed with ooids (meaning "egglike")--spherical grains in concentric layers. These are from an ancient bristlecone pine forest. Unpolished backs.
FS379 $52.00
FS362 $40.00
FS385 $52.00
FS389 $34.00
FS370 $32.00
FS371 $56.00
FS377 $22.00
We have fossilized mud in Arizona, but that stuff looks and feels like dried mud, not like these magnificent pieces, which are very unusual and special. Here, rich chocolate brown frames an area of abstract art, where the mud is a rich black and the cracks are filled with contrasting whitish agate. Matte-finished backs.
FS275 $50.00
FS293 $75.00
FS294 $40.00
Part of Wyoming was covered by
an ancient saltwater sea, and in the Cretaceous period, gastropods (snails)
called Turretillas made a living. They had elongated, chambered shells, which
make up the pattern in this stone. The back of these pieces are matt-finished
with more Turretillas visible.
FS583 $46.00
FS587 $38.00
FS588 $28.00
FS589 $28.00
FS590 $26.00
FS591 $24.00
FS592 $37.50
FS184 $27.50
FS193 $39.50
Fossil Orthoceros SALE: All Drilled Orthoceros 30% off! Limited Time Only! Orthoceros was a "straight" celphalopod, an ancient ancestor of today's squid. They arose in the Late Cambrian and had eyes, jaws, and a sophisticated nervous system. They lived in saltwater seas and fed on plankton. The chambered skeleton of this creature makes for a beautiful design. I bought these from a dealer who carries only Moroccan fossils. These were cut and polished in Africa (probably without electricity), and as such have a unusual shape--I would call it "fusiform," or fish-shaped. The backs do have a flat plane, but the sides, top, and bottom taper to a narrow edge. Their different, almost wild, feel is pleasing in its own way. My guess is that the various patterns denote different species. They are really fascinating. Please note: I am offering some as drilled pendants, and others are undrilled. Polished all sides.
FS107 $46.00 SALE PRICE: $32.00
FS110 $42.00 SALE PRICE: $29.00
FS115 $37.50 SALE PRICE: $26.00
FS118 $34.00 SALE PRICE: $23.50
This is the actual bone from dinosaurs, completely mineralized. The differing colors are due to varying mineral content of the soils in which the bones were found. The darker lines show the actual internal "spongey" structure of the bone itself. Too Cool! Remember to click on the photos to see details.
FS25 $17.99
FS12 $34.50
See our spectacular Pyritized Ammonites on our second page of: More Fossil Gems. Previous page: Fordite General information and directory: Designer Gems To check what you've put in your shopping cart, click:
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Heart of Stone Studio Gemstones
Cabochons
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