Opabinia Blues Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 Hello! This is an apparent “fossil” brittle star, looking much like those that come from the Ordovician of Morocco. However, these particular fossils are very often faked, and I have a strong gut feeling that this particular one has been carved into the matrix. What does everyone else think? For whatever reason that I can’t quantify this piece *looks* like a fake to me, especially due to the fact that it has a very distinctive obvious outline from an air tool, which often is a sign of carving, though that I’ve also often seen that done with genuine Knightia and such. There are a few things that may help indicate that it’s genuine, however, notably that fine details that would be difficult/too labor intensive to carve like “ribbing” on the arms and a “star” (like that on a sand dollar) in the middle of the body are visible. I’ve also already run a cotton swab with acetone over the body, which has not removed any color, so that may help rule out painting. But yes, my gut says it’s a carved forgery (or I guess to be nice you could say “replica”), interested in what everyone else thinks because I’m not 100% sure. Thanks! “The worse the country, the more tortured it is by water and wind, the more broken and carved, the more it attracts fossil hunters, who depend on the planet to open itself to us. We can only scratch away at what natural forced have brought to the surface.” - Jack Horner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opabinia Blues Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 Closeup of one of the arms: “The worse the country, the more tortured it is by water and wind, the more broken and carved, the more it attracts fossil hunters, who depend on the planet to open itself to us. We can only scratch away at what natural forced have brought to the surface.” - Jack Horner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opabinia Blues Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 Close up of the body with enhanced contrast: “The worse the country, the more tortured it is by water and wind, the more broken and carved, the more it attracts fossil hunters, who depend on the planet to open itself to us. We can only scratch away at what natural forced have brought to the surface.” - Jack Horner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opabinia Blues Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 Close up with enhanced contrast: “The worse the country, the more tortured it is by water and wind, the more broken and carved, the more it attracts fossil hunters, who depend on the planet to open itself to us. We can only scratch away at what natural forced have brought to the surface.” - Jack Horner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 Looks real to me. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 Hard to be certain from a photo, but I agree with Adam (Tidgy's Dad). However, it is certainly "enhanced" in that the crude prep (basically scratching the matrix) has been used to exaggerate the contrast with the matrix and make the outline of the specimen more dramatic. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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