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Petrified fig?


abm

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that is a good thought, especially if it is old

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Paleoflor,

The Victorians had a "thing" for decorative glass bowls filled with carved wood/plaster, molded clay, Pottery, carved stone (sometimes semi-precious, ie jade, agate) glass and even metalic fruit used as table centerpieces or side table displays.

“Beautiful is what we see. More beautiful is what we understand. Most beautiful is what we do not comprehend.” N. Steno

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No,can't be a Lobolith, because there is a natural "hole" on the opposite side of the attachment. A crinoid with such an organ couldn't float.

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" We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. "

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Hi, this has been an interesting read. After reading I have also been thinking maybe it is some sort of carved decorative piece. It really looks like a perfect, plump slightly over-ripe fig, even splitting on the sides as figs do and if such figs don't exist in petrified form, it stands to reason that it is carved. It could have come from anywhere as my grandfather, whilst South African, was a merchant seaman so he got around, I guess he would have bought it in the 1940s or 50s. I will take it to a little shop in Amsterdam where I think the guy specialises in this sort of thing and see what he says and let you all know.

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I've just noticed this and looked at the pictures. I'm with the carved artifact school of thought. If you look near the "stem" it looks very much like it was carved from alabaster or some other similar mineral. The tiny indentations and the crystalline structure underneath make me think of nineteenth century artificial fruit which was stained to make it look real and used to decorate something.

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Accidentally I came across these fruits from Borneo, interesting is the resemblance with the first one. I think, the possibility that the "fig" in question to be some kind of petrified fruit should not be excluded. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/22221-plant-fossils-from-borneo/

post-17588-0-99389300-1451137188_thumb.jpgpost-17588-0-37923800-1451136831_thumb.jpgpost-17588-0-79517900-1451137198_thumb.jpg

Edited by abyssunder

" We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. "

Thomas Mann

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I took the item to a shop in Amsterdam called Terra Incognita, it doesn't have a website annoyingly but he has meteorites, fossils, minerals and jewellery. The guy was on the phone and his assistant took the item to him and he said very complimemntary things about it, all the while being on the phone. I asked him if he thought it was a petrified fig or carved alabaster and he didn't know and said to just enjoy it as a beautiful object. So I am none the wiser.

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"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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I just want to say that the idea of Alabaster is very good and there aren't any evidence to prove that the specimen in question is not this kind of artifact, also any evidence which can deny this. In the case of a vintage artifact the only thing what could be determined, is the material. For example if it's based on calcium and is calcium sulfate (gypsum which was used in the medieval Europe), will not react to HCL treatment, if it's modern or antique, probably was made of calcite (calcium carbonate), which react with HCL. Gypsum is soft (1.5-2 on Mohs scale), Calcite is harder (3).

Edited by abyssunder

" We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. "

Thomas Mann

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  • 4 years later...

I’m just now reading this primarily due to finding a fig looking object myself in a Pennsylvanian area near Wister Lake in Southeast Oklahoma. Was there ever a determination on the identification?

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E48A4115-2CEA-4484-872B-713BE4001177.jpeg

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4 hours ago, MSirmon said:

I’m just now reading this primarily due to finding a fig looking object myself in a Pennsylvanian area near Wister Lake in Southeast Oklahoma. Was there ever a determination on the identification?

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E48A4115-2CEA-4484-872B-713BE4001177.jpeg

MSirmon I'm thinking yours may be some kind of trace fossil. @DPS Ammonite could this be a conostichus?

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Let’s look at it in profile, instead of downwards (see red arrow.) Conostichus looks like a possibility. I think that I see ridges that go around the axis of the cone.
2AC80AF9-3795-436E-9307-049628525DDF.jpeg

 I am looking for the ridges that go around the axis of the cone similar to ones in the website below:

 

https://igws.indiana.edu/FossilsAndTime/conostichus

 

3E0BDA41-3582-4065-BF78-60920B189F3E.jpeg

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  • 1 year later...

I found this one about a decade ago in Travis County Texas. Lake Travis.

Austin had a several year drought and the lake level went down to where it was, when it was inhabited by natives. I found some really cool stuff. My big find was a 4.5 inch, square knife and each side was sharpened!

They found a mummified woman and several graves as well when the water levels got low.

 

I ask to please familiarize yourself about limestone fossils found in central Texas. I found buckets and buckets of central texas fossils as well in the same vicinity.

 

Are there any fig trees in this area where this was found?

You bet! Quite a few were below and on top of the site where this was found.

But there was other marine life fossils as well.

 

Can someone confirm the exclusion of water and lake recreation equipment?

Fishing equipment? Fishing weights?

This was the only far fetched idea I had on what this could be. The reason I want to exclude this is because of the near picture perfect drill hole on the bottom. It seems to perfect to be eaten out by a living creature.

 

Until finding this thread here....i told myself it was possibly some kind of onion. Lol or a fruit or extinct seed pod.

 

Hope you all enjoy my contribution. 

 

 

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16 minutes ago, MulberryKing said:

Can someone confirm the exclusion of water and lake recreation equipment?

Fishing equipment? Fishing weights?

This was the only far fetched idea I had on what this could be. The reason I want to exclude this is because of the near picture perfect drill hole on the bottom. It seems to perfect to be eaten out by a living creature.

 

How big is it?  

 

It shows lots of evidence of machine grinding.

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The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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8 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

 

How big is it?  

 

It shows lots of evidence of machine grinding.

6.4cm across. I see the grinding and wear as well. Makes me think it is man made. I just cant think of what it would be.

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30 minutes ago, MulberryKing said:

6.4cm across. I see the grinding and wear as well. Makes me think it is man made. I just cant think of what it would be.

 

Not sure, but it looks recently manmade.  There are many possibilities considering boat traffic and flood debris.

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The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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2 hours ago, MulberryKing said:

I found this one about a decade ago in Travis County Texas. Lake Travis.

 

20211014_131131_HDR.jpg 20211014_131112_HDR.jpg 20211014_131212_HDR.jpg 20211014_131150_HDR.jpg

 

 

Alabaster fig?

 

 

 

authentic-early-1900s-alabaster-stone_1_2113ad2b6be1f21afb981aa7858f3204.jpg

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29 minutes ago, MulberryKing said:

Sweet. A fossil of a fruit that is man made.

I like it!

 

Not a fossil, just a worn piece of old art.

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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For garden or tabletop decoration.  I have pottery pumpkins.  Other people like to display fruit (which do not rot) on their dining table.  

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