Dan1961 Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Hi everybody. I'm hoping someone on here can identify these. Last Saturday I was digging in the yard here in Alva to plant some citrus trees. At about two feet down in this area it's all coral and i found this conglomeration wedged under a cypress root. the tree is over 4 ft in diameter. i thought these were lizard eggs but after gently brushing the shells out with a soft toothbrush and dawn soap, i think these might be pearls. two of them actually did separate as you can see they're on the desk. we're seventeen miles from the ocean and this property was a cypress swamp prior to our house being built in 1974. Any thoughts on these ? My wife wants me to encase them in resin because they're unusual looking . Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Not sure what they are, but I can guarantee they're not pearls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 19 minutes ago, caldigger said: Not sure what they are, but I can guarantee they're not pearls. The ones on the table maybe ? It looks as if the shell had pearls in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan1961 Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 the 2 on the desk were attached to the right of the snail. i inadvertently knocked them out while cleaning. im right now looking at maps of Florida from the ice age forward and it looks like there was no ocean here. like i said, about two feet down in this part of florida it is solid coral, so i have to assume the coral and these oysters formed when the sea covered this area, im gonna have to do some research to try and get an approximate age as these were on the upper layer of coral. thank you 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Are the snail and the shapes to the left relevant to the post ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan1961 Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 the snail is stuck to the inside of the shell, i did not try to remove it, the two round objects to the left of the snail are identical to the two that were attached and are now seperated and on the desktop, except the two to the left of the snail no longer have any luster. there is another oyster in the photos which has an identical round object affixed inside of it, i recall seeing two in that one shell but i believe it fell and was lost as i was carrying it to the sink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Lots of "I don't think so's" here. I have never known a pearl to have a little tab on it, let alone one on every item. Not to mention the odd color and what is with that putty under them that doesnt match the matrix. Another problem I have the fact that the one in the last picture seems to have lost its innards and collapsed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan1961 Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 so, any ideas as to what these are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan1961 Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 what "putty" are you referring to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Like I stated prior, I don't know. But if pearls they would have a surface similar to that gastropod shell they are mounted next to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan1961 Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 thats what im thinking, which is wby Im here, to pick the minds of people who are far more knowledgeable about these things than i am. all of the round objects are hard, the photo colors are true.the two objects on the brown base move a little when pushed , they are not affixed to the base very well, all 5 of these round objects are identical in form except for color and luster. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Try to scorch one with a lighter. Look man made to me, some sort of plastic ? Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Hi there, and welcome to the forum from Ontario! I'm definitely not an expert, but I don't think what you've found are pearls - they don't seem to have the right lustre/shine to them, and that little nubbin is really throwing me off - I haven't ever seen a perfectly spherical pearl with a little pointy bit at one end before. As for what it might be - I have no idea!!! I hope you find the answer to your mystery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan1961 Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 thank you both, ive got to find my x acto tomorrow and ill try to slice the smallest one in half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 I think they could be insect eggs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifbrindacier Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Hi from France. I also wonder if they aren't insect eggs, and modern ones. "On ne voit bien que par le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) "We only well see with the heart, the essential is invisible for the eyes." In memory of Doren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 On 6/30/2019 at 7:24 PM, Rockwood said: I think they could be insect eggs. I'm wondering in they are apple snail? eggs...they get pretty big around here... Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 6 hours ago, Plantguy said: I'm wondering in they are apple snail? eggs...they get pretty big around here... Regards, Chris Apparently they do get "crisp" when they dry out, and they prefer smooth surfaces to lay their eggs on. A fossil snail shell would be preferable to coral. I'd say it's quite likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamman88 Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 3 hours ago, Rockwood said: Apparently they do get "crisp" when they dry out, and they prefer smooth surfaces to lay their eggs on. A fossil snail shell would be preferable to coral. I'd say it's quite likely. They only lay in clusters and directly over water. But I do think theyre some sort of egg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 OK, it's Tuesday. Did we try the "slice test"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 I think this is someone's artwork. As Caldigger pointed out, the round objects are glued (or putty instead of glue) to the shell and I would guess that the snail is also glued in. Looks like glass beads to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 But did plastic even exist when a 4' cypress tree sprouted ? I suppose it could have survived fill being tucked under it, but what are the odds ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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