Rhodochrosite ps. after fossilized Mollusc (Cook Coll.)

Item Description

One of the rarest and most interesting of mineralized fossils, are these rhodochrosite-replaced fossils from Crimea! Multi-hued rhodochrosite has pseudomorphed a 1.4 cm mollusc shell, the shell hash and part of the inside wall of the interior of this striking well-preserved fossilized mollusc from the Kerch Peninsula of the Ukraine. The sharp ribbing and multiple growth plates of the bone-white shell add dramatic character to the exterior. This phosphatic-iron pod deposit is now mined through and gone. These came out in the late 1980s and 90s. Ex Bill and Anne Cook Collection. It is extremely RARE to obtain specimens today of this TOP quality. This is one of the best we have had for sharpness and style points of the combo! They are gone now. Nothing like this has come out in decades. The outstanding preservation, symmetry and colors of this bilateral bivalve mollusc are exceptional. Today, you simply do not see them for sale.