Dinosaur Bone Bracelet
Dinosaur Bone Bracelet
Fossils are not simply the preserved remains of long-dead creatures. They are a geological phenomenon all their own that can express itself in many different ways, influenced by other terrestrial forces.
This bracelet showcases a bead of agatized dinosaur bone, meaning the bone material has been replaced by a crystalline form of quartz. The result is a beautiful expression of paleontology and geology joined together in a stunning piece of jewelry.
📸 SOME VARIETIES OF THE BRACELET
JEWELRY STRAIGHT FROM THE MESZOIC
The beads in these bracelets are not just from any dinosaur, they are fashioned from agatized sauropod bone from the Morrison Formation of Utah. One of the most studied fossil beds of the upper Jurassic Period, the region was once home to a large floodplain ecosystem 150,000,000 years ago. Here, these enormous dinosaurs walked the earth, munching on vegetation to power their massive bodies.
Over tens of millions of years, hard minerals, such as chalcedony and quartz, replaced the original organic material. The result is a beautiful marrow matrix exhibiting incredible detail and rich colors.
As pictured, the dinosaur bone beads on this bracelet are 12-13mm in diameter. This is larger than our typical bracelets so we've chosen to offset the beads with rugged, 10mm lava rock beads. The spacers on either side of the dinosaur bone bead are sterling silver. Because this bracelet features larger beads we've made two different sizes: 7" (~17.5cm) and 8" (~20cm) circumference. The bracelets are constructed with sturdy but flexible black cord so they'll stretch a bit further.
The bracelet comes in a gray gift box with a small information card that provides background on the material and serves as the certificate of authenticity. Please Note: as pictured, these beads vary widely in color and texture. Each one is absolutely unique and beautiful.
📸 AGATIZED DINOSAUR BONE
MORE ABOUT FOSSIL AGATES
The stunning pattern seen in these necklaces is a combination of biologic and geologic processes over the course of millions of years. A dinosaur begins the fossilization process after its body is buried by sediment. Over time, groundwater can seep into empty spaces within the organism's body, such as the internal structure of a bone.
This groundwater carries minerals that fill in the gaps, eventually leaving up a buildup of geologic material. This occurs over an extremely long period of time, millions of years at least. Since the process is so gradual, small and delicate details can be preserved in stone, such as the spongy inside of a dinosaur bone seen here or even the gaps in the cell walls of fossil plants.
FURTHER READING
Dumont, Maitena, et al. "Long bone cortices in a growth series of Apatosaurus sp.(Dinosauria: Diplodocidae): geometry, body mass, and crystallite orientation of giant animals." Biological journal of the Linnean Society 112.4 (2014): 782-798.
McHugh, Julia B. "Evidence for niche partitioning among ground-height browsing sauropods from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America." Geology of the Intermountain West 5 (2018): 95-103.
Prothero, Donald R. 1998 .Bringing fossils to life : An Introduction to Paleobiology. New York: Columbia University Press.
Taylor, Michael P., et al. “Were the Necks of Apatosaurus & Brontosaurus Adapted for Combat?” PeerJ Preprints, 3:e1347v1, 2015.
Wedel, Matt. “A Giant, Skeletally Immature Individual of Apatosaurus From the Morrison Formation of Oklahoma.” 61st Symposium on Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy - Programme and Abstracts, 2013, pp. 40–45.
Weishampel, David B., et al. (eds). The Dinosauria – Second Edition. University of California Press, 2004.
