• Crystalized Clam (OK5)

    Crystalized fossil clams like this are exceptionally rare. These clams lived in a shallow sea that covered most of Florida 2 million years ago. A sudden storm event buried the clams, trapping cavities inside. When the shells began to dissolve, it provided the material necessary to grow calcite crystals in the open spaces. These unusual fossils are known from only one site, an old quarry near Lake Okeechobee. The quarry played out and flooded in 2007. We excavated this in 2023. An attractive and informative display card accompanies the specimen.

     

    Notes specific to this specimen: Great honey calcite crystals replacing multiple clam shells trapped in matrix. Some excellent radial calcite crystals here! This piece has a sawn flat bottom so it stands up nicely on its own.
     

    SIZE: 7″x 5″x 5″

     

    NAME: Mercenaria permagna
    AGE: Pleistocene 2 million years
    UNIT: Nashua Formation
    SITE: Okeechobee County, Florida

     

    Documentation: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin. In addition, an attractive and informative display card accompanies the specimen.

  • Potomac Marble Sculpture

    Notes specific to this specimen: You won’t find this on the market anywhere! Why? Because we are the only people who excavate and sculpt this beautiful and unusual historic material. Also called Capitol Marble, this Triassic conglomerate is featured as the columns in the US Capitol National Statuary Hall rotunda. They hold up the main Capitol Dome. Interestingly, the location of the quarry where this material was mined was lost for 200 years. But the old quarry site was finally found a few years ago. We visited the site which is along the C & O canal (near milepost 38) in 2024. It hosts the exact same rock we collect for carving at Point of Rocks, some 12 miles upstream where this piece is from. This freeform was sculpted by Jon in 2022 and has a flat bottom for easy display. It features a highly polished partial helix on the front and a contrasting natural back, showing how the rock is found in its rough state.

     

    HOW IT FORMED

    Paleozoic mountains that were being uplifted during the Triassic Period as North America and Africa were colliding. About 205 million years ago these rivers carried broken pieces of dolomite into a basin where they were buried. As the layers accumulated in depth, heat and pressure built up and eventually cemented everything together. Later the layers were pushed up and erosion removed the sediments above, exposing this unique rock in certain locations along the Potomac River.

     

    SIZE: 6″ x 4″ x 6″

     

    AGE: Triassic Period, 205 million years
    UNIT: Newark Supergroup
    SITE: Point of Rocks, Maryland
    DATE: 2021

     

    Documentation: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin.

  • Crystalized Clam (OK2)

    Crystalized fossil clams like this are exceptionally rare. These clams lived in a shallow sea that covered most of Florida 2 million years ago. A sudden storm event buried the clams, trapping cavities inside. When the shells began to dissolve, it provided the material necessary to grow calcite crystals in the open spaces. These unusual fossils are known from only one site, an old quarry near Lake Okeechobee. The quarry played out and flooded in 2007. We excavated this in 2023. An attractive and informative display card accompanies the specimen.

     

    Notes specific to this specimen: A complete clam with druzy honey calcite crystals exposed on the front and a recrystallized shell on back. A very unique specimen.

     

    SIZE: 4″x 3″x 2″

     

    NAME: Mercenaria permagna
    AGE: Pleistocene 2 million years
    UNIT: Nashua Formation
    SITE: Okeechobee County, Florida

     

    Documentation: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin. In addition, an attractive and informative display card accompanies the specimen.

  • Septarian Nodule Bowl

    Notes specific to this specimen: An entirely unique item, this septarian nodule was excavated and carved into a bowl by Jon in 2018. The specimen is from the famous Muddy Creek septarian beds in southern Utah, east of Zion National Park. Our friends own a mining claim there and we periodically visit them to collect nodules. Most septarians are not conducive to carving into bowls. This is the only septarian nodule bowl ever sculpted by Jon. He kept it as his own since the day he sculpted it. Alas, it is being displaced from his personal collection by other, larger projects. It has a beautiful shine and fluoresces nicely under UV light. Jon has indicated he may – or may not! – ever do another one.

     

    SIZE: 6″ x 6″ x 4″

     

    SEPTARIAN NODULE BOWL
    AGE: Cretaceous Period, 70 million years
    UNIT: Frontier Formation
    SITE: Orderville, Utah
    DATE: 2018

     

    Documentation: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin.

  • Iron Stromatolites (ME2)

    Notes specific to this specimen: Beautiful deep red agatization in these colonies attest to the classic origin of this specimen as being from the old Mary Ellen Mine in Biwabik, Minnesota, the type locality for the Biwabik Iron Formation. The mine shut down over 50 years ago. Notice the off-set angle of the growth pattern in this piece. This is attributed to constant water currents in the area where these colonies were growing. *This specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin

     

    SIZE: 4″ x 7″ x .3″

     

    Name: Collenia undosa
    Unit: Biwabik Iron Formation
    Site: Biwabik Iron Range, Minnesota
    Date: Mid 1990s

     

    Documentation: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin.

  • Cerdito Prospect Rift Crystals (CP12)

    Notes specific to this specimen: Nice light-purple amethyst vein running diagonally through this piece. Has great white quartz healed fracture veins on the side and another amethyst cavity in the back. There’s even a small one on the cut bottom! This piece has a flat bottom so it stands up and displays very nicely. Take a look at the bottom and you’ll see the very graphic splitting of the matrix and the subsequent infilling.

     

    SIZE: 4″ x 4″ x 5″

     

    Quartz – Amethyst, Smokey, Citrine, Clear
    AGE: Mesoproterozoic Era – 1.1 billion years
    UNIT: Rove Formation
    SITE: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
    DATE: 2022

     

    Documentation: This authentic mineral specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin.

  • Fossil Sand Dollar and Clam (KH4)

    These well-preserved clams and sand dollars lived in a shallow sea that covered the San Joaquin Valley for millions of years. During storms the animals became buried in sediments which preserved the shells. Under heat and pressure, the shells altered into calcite, yet preserved their fine detail. Later, due to movement of the nearby San Andreas fault, the whole area was uplifted, becoming the Kettleman Hills. The Hills became famous for its oil in the 1920s. But the oil has since played out and the land is returning to its former native environment. We’ve polished the primary shells to show their beauty and detail. Iron and petroleum color the shells. We have spent years mapping the Hills and are the only people who know where to find these unique fossils.

     

    Notes specific to this specimen: Beautiful and showy matrix piece with flat bottom so it stands nicely. This specimen has one large polished sand dollar and one infant sand dollar along with a great polished clam.

     

    SIZE: 4″x 3″x 3″

     

    NAME: Psuedocardium & Dendraster
    AGE: Pliocene 4 million years
    UNIT: Etchegoin Formation
    SITE: Kettleman Hills, California

     

    Documents: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin. In addition, an attractive and informative display card accompanies the specimen.

  • Fossil Sand Dollar and Clam (KH2)

    These well-preserved clams and sand dollars lived in a shallow sea that covered the San Joaquin Valley for millions of years. During storms the animals became buried in sediments which preserved the shells. Under heat and pressure, the shells altered into calcite, yet preserved their fine detail. Later, due to movement of the nearby San Andreas fault, the whole area was uplifted, becoming the Kettleman Hills. The Hills became famous for its oil in the 1920s. But the oil has since played out and the land is returning to its former native environment. We’ve polished the primary shells to show their beauty and detail. Iron and petroleum color the shells. We have spent years mapping the Hills and are the only people who know where to find these unique fossils.

     

    Notes specific to this specimen: Matrix piece that has a flat bottom so it stands nicely. This specimen has one large and one infant sand dollar with a nice polished clam that has great colors.

     

    SIZE: 5″x 3″x 3″

     

    NAME: Psuedocardium & Dendraster
    AGE: Pliocene Epoch – 4 million years
    UNIT: Etchegoin Formation
    SITE: Kettleman Hills, California
    DATE: 2023

     

    Documents: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin. In addition, an attractive and informative display card accompanies the specimen.

  • Iron Stromatolites (ME4)

    Notes specific to this specimen: Rare white colonies with dark banded growth rings. Some have branchings. Specimen found in 1990s at the old Mary Ellen Mine in Biwabik, Minnesota, the type locality for the Biwabik Iron Formation. Notice the silvery spots of concentrated iron between the colonies.

     

    SIZE: 5″ x 7″ x .3″

     

    Name: Collenia undosa
    Unit: Biwabik Iron Formation
    Site: Biwabik Iron Range, Minnesota
    Date: Mid 1990s

     

    Documentation: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin.

  • Crystalized Clam (OK1)

    Crystalized fossil clams like this are exceptionally rare. These clams lived in a shallow sea that covered most of Florida 2 million years ago. A sudden storm event buried the clams, trapping cavities inside. When the shells began to dissolve, it provided the material necessary to grow calcite crystals in the open spaces. These unusual fossils are known from only one site, an old quarry near Lake Okeechobee. The quarry played out and flooded in 2007. We excavated this in 2023. An attractive and informative display card accompanies the specimen.

     

    Notes specific to this specimen: This complete clam is packed full with honey calcite. There are some fantastic radial calcite crystals amidst a solid honey calcite matrix. The back is a partially recrystallized shell. This is a singularly unique find.

     

    SIZE: 5″x 3″x 2″

     

    NAME: Mercenaria permagna
    AGE: Pleistocene 2 million years
    UNIT: Nashua Formation
    SITE: Okeechobee County, Florida

     

    Documentation: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin. In addition, an attractive and informative display card accompanies the specimen.

  • Crystalized Clam (OK3)

    Crystalized fossil clams like this are exceptionally rare. These clams lived in a shallow sea that covered most of Florida 2 million years ago. A sudden storm event buried the clams, trapping cavities inside. When the shells began to dissolve, it provided the material necessary to grow calcite crystals in the open spaces. These unusual fossils are known from only one site, an old quarry near Lake Okeechobee. The quarry played out and flooded in 2007. We excavated this in 2023. An attractive and informative display card accompanies the specimen.

     

    Notes specific to this specimen: Great honey calcite crystals replacing the clam shell trapped in matrix. This piece has a sawn flat bottom so it stands up nicely on its own. Nice display specimen

     

    SIZE: 8″x 5″x 5″

     

    NAME: Mercenaria permagna
    AGE: Pleistocene 2 million years
    UNIT: Nashua Formation
    SITE: Okeechobee County, Florida

     

    Documentation: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin. In addition, an attractive and informative display card accompanies the specimen.

  • Cerdito Prospect Rift Crystals (CP13)

    Notes specific to this specimen: Cool combination piece dominated by a cavity of nice light smokey quartz crystals encased in an amethyst vein. Note: One of the large crystals has a broken tip. But the rest is clean and gemmy. This piece has a cut-flat bottom so it stands up and displays very nicely. Take a look at the cut bottom and you’ll see the very graphic splitting of the matrix and the subsequent infilling with deeper smokey quartz.

     

    SIZE: 4″ x 4″ x 4″

     

    Quartz – Amethyst, Smokey, Citrine, Clear
    AGE: Mesoproterozoic Era – 1.1 billion years
    UNIT: Rove Formation
    SITE: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
    DATE: 2022

     

    Documentation: This authentic mineral specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin.

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