Imagine you’re making your way through a massive swamp forest: enormous trees standing high overhead, the drone of giant insects echoing through your ears. This is a completely alien world to us, but it is in fact Earth of the distant past.

This is the Carboniferous Period of 300 million years ago, a pivotal turning point in Earth’s evolution. From the warm and wet climate, terrestrial plants boomed and radiated into many prosperous species.

We've learned much about this incredible period of history by studying the fossils left behind by plants. While most are eaten or decay, a lucky few ferns are buried in sediment and given the chance to be preserved in stone forever.

This necklace is made from the fossilized segement of a fern, cast into layered stone over the course of millions of years. Each pendant is completely unique and captures a piece of these 300,000,000 year old plants in exquisite beauty.

These necklaces come from Carboniferous Period fossils of prehistoric ferns. Sizings vary slightly, but they can come in teardrop, oval, or triangular shapes and measure roughly 1" on average.

Each fossil will have its own look, though most include stem and leaf imprints over dark gray stone. Additional colorings, such as brown and yellow, may also appear. The fossil is set into a fine sterling silver backing with an 18" chain.

This is a 300,000,000 year old piece of jewelry that makes an incredible addition to any wardrobe. The beautiful texture of the fossil and ancient organic patterns are sure to draw the eye!

The Carboniferous Period lasted from around 350 to 300 million years ago and is the source of many coal deposits in the modern day. This time was marked by a warm climate and a boom of plant and animal life across Earth's landmasses. Lush forests, massive insects, and even early reptiles were common finds.

One of the most iconic groups of plants from this time is the fern, one of the earliest vascular plants which dominated the ecosystem. Ferns have a kind of organic highway for nutrients, called a vascular system, with the xylem tissue distributing water from the plant’s roots, and the phloem which conducts minerals produced during photosynthesis to the rest of the plant.

This is an incredibly efficient system, which we can tell by the relatively unchanged forms of ferns over the years. You could even say that some species exist in evolutionary stasis, able to adapt to so many enviroments that they haven't had to change for millions of years.

Unlike some other plants, ferns lack flowers and fruits. This is because their reproductive cycle is based on casting spores into the wind. A fertile fern will produce pockets of spores on their exterior, which can be cast away by wind, rain, or animals. These spores eventually germinate and grow into new plants on their own.

This process is actually even older than the seed-based life cycle we might expect of most plants. This is yet another example of how ancient ferns truly are.