{"product_id":"orthoceras-fossil-tower-7-inch-polished-black-fossil-sculpture-with-white-nautiloid-shells-ancient-cephalopod-statement-piece","title":"Orthoceras Fossil Tower, 7 Inch Polished Black Fossil Sculpture with White Nautiloid Shells, Ancient Cephalopod Statement Piece","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis one is heavy in the hand and old in a way that is hard to take in. A polished tower carved from black fossil limestone, just over seven inches tall and close to three pounds, with the shells of orthoceras running through it in pale gray and white. Each of those tapered shapes was a straight shelled cephalopod, a relative of the nautilus and the squid, that swam in a shallow sea roughly 400 million years ago and settled into the mud when it died. Dark limestone formed around them, and what you are looking at now is that seabed cut and polished so the shells show in cross section.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe polish is what makes the fossils readable. The chambered shells show their segments as fine ribs of white, some sliced lengthwise into long tapers, some cut across into rings, and the big one low on the front is the one people find first. Between the polished faces a channel of the rough matrix was left in place, so you get the raw stone and the finished stone side by side on one piece. The tips are rounded, the base is flat, and it stands on its own without a wobble.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt reads as sculpture from across a room and as a fossil bed up close. The black is deep and satiny rather than mirror glossy, which keeps the white shells from getting lost in reflections.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOrthoceras is kept as a stone of deep time. People who work with fossils reach for it when they want perspective, the reminder that most of what feels urgent is small against a few hundred million years, and that whatever is going on has been weathered before. It is associated with grounding and steadiness, with the patience of things that take a long while, and it turns up in the rooms of people who like a sense of history close by. Some keep it as a stone of ancestry and long memory, a way of feeling connected to what came before, and others simply like that it makes a desk or a shelf feel anchored. The black limestone is read as protective and settling, the kind of stone that quiets a busy room rather than adding to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe tower form is read as focus, energy gathered wide at the base and carried upward. On this piece that reads as points rising together, which people who work with stones take as strength in company rather than alone. At this size it holds a shelf, a mantel, a desk, or an entry table without needing anything else around it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe product photographs show the exact piece you will receive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpecifications\u003cbr\u003eStone: orthoceras fossils in natural black limestone\u003cbr\u003eSize: just over 7 inches tall and about 3 inches wide\u003cbr\u003eWeight: 2 lb 11.8 oz (1241 g)\u003cbr\u003eForm: polished tower with rounded points, flat base, stands on its own\u003cbr\u003eHardness: 3 (Mohs), calcite based limestone\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease note: this is a natural fossil stone. Expect small pits, tiny voids where a shell chamber meets the surface, and a strip of rough unpolished matrix between the polished faces, which is part of the piece. Limestone is softer than quartz, so keep it from knocking against harder stones and wipe it with a dry cloth rather than soaking it. You are receiving the exact piece shown.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBecause natural minerals are delicate and can be damaged by the stress of shipping, we are unable to accept returns. If your item arrives damaged, please contact us within 48 hours with photos and we will make it right.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gems \u0026 Stems","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44273360666702,"sku":"OR-TW-01","price":88.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0732\/5666\/5166\/files\/01-lifestyle_a19bb946-251f-4b57-9851-9bc133d3b1f3.jpg?v=1788530745","url":"https:\/\/shopgemsandstems.com\/products\/orthoceras-fossil-tower-7-inch-polished-black-fossil-sculpture-with-white-nautiloid-shells-ancient-cephalopod-statement-piece","provider":"Gems \u0026 Stems","version":"1.0","type":"link"}