xraymike79 Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 Deshayesites sp. ammonite with an iridescent nacre of pink, yellow, and green from the original shell. This species is one of my favorite for its preserved iridescence and suture patterns. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 A striking piece, as is the display base, very nice. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 WOW! Just WOW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 Beautiful! My only quibble, and this is just a personal preference, is that I wish they wouldn't smooth off the aperture into an unnatural shape. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xraymike79 Posted August 10, 2019 Author Share Posted August 10, 2019 9 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said: Beautiful! My only quibble, and this is just a personal preference, is that I wish they wouldn't smooth off the aperture into an unnatural shape. Don Why do they always do this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 17 minutes ago, xraymike79 said: Why do they always do this? I know that in Madagascar they're actually not allowed to export fossils, so they do just this and declare the fossil as artwork, which is like splitting hairs, but they get around the law that way. maybe the situation is similar in Russia? Very nice specimen. 2 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 In the case of Madagascar ammonites, there is a law that fossils must be modified (? improved?) before export. This ranges from grinding the aperture (or broken end of the phragmocone) flat, to polishing the whole surface. Smoothing out the aperture is relatively innocuous, it just creates a misleading impression of the shape of the aperture. Grinding/polishing the whole surface removes the surface ornament and the detail of the suture line, and in my opinion destroys the specimen from a scientific point of view as it becomes effectively unidentifiable. Anyway, I think the intent of the law is to provide jobs. Also dealers from other countries may smooth the aperture because many people who buy such fossils because they are attractive prefer the "finished" look to the rougher look of the natural aperture filled with matrix. Don 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xraymike79 Posted August 11, 2019 Author Share Posted August 11, 2019 1 hour ago, Ludwigia said: I know that in Madagascar they're actually not allowed to export fossils, so they do just this and declare the fossil as artwork, which is like splitting hairs, but they get around the law that way. maybe the situation is similar in Russia? Very nice specimen. Thanks for that factoid. Lots of artwork coming out of Madagascar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xraymike79 Posted August 11, 2019 Author Share Posted August 11, 2019 2 hours ago, FossilDAWG said: In the case of Madagascar ammonites, there is a law that fossils must be modified (? improved?) before export. This ranges from grinding the aperture (or broken end of the phragmocone) flat, to polishing the whole surface. Smoothing out the aperture is relatively innocuous, it just creates a misleading impression of the shape of the aperture. Grinding/polishing the whole surface removes the surface ornament and the detail of the suture line, and in my opinion destroys the specimen from a scientific point of view as it becomes effectively unidentifiable. Anyway, I think the intent of the law is to provide jobs. Also dealers from other countries may smooth the aperture because many people who buy such fossils because they are attractive prefer the "finished" look to the rougher look of the natural aperture filled with matrix. Don Ah I see. Thanks for the detailed explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allosaurus Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 Truly stunning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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