BEL002 - PRISTINE SET OF FIVE LARGE LAB CLEANED CALCITE BELEMNITES FROM THE CRETACEOUS PERIOD

Product Description

ID

Gonioteuthis quadrata sp.

FOUND

North Central Germany

AGE

LATE CRETACEOUS:
  83 - 71 million years ago

SIZE

2.9" - 2.25" long each

CONDITION

NO REPAIR OR RESTORATION

NOTE

BEAUTIFUL TRANSLUCENT
SPECIMENS OF PURE 
HONEY-COLORED CALCITE WITH 
DELICATE SURFACE DETAIL
PRESERVED

INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX

Comes with a certificate of
authenticity / information sheet

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT STRAIGHT CEPHALOPOD FOSSILS

While much more common to find damaged and embedded rock or sliced in rock tiles, this is a  set of 5 of the largest complete belemnites we collected.   These are all of the largest we have to offer and will have no more.   These are three-dimensional and solid translucent calcite belemnites of the species Gonioteuthis quadrata sp. freed from the rock in which they were found.  Finding an undamaged one and then KEEPING IT UNDAMAGED as you remove it from the hard limestone, is a real chore and very difficult to accomplish!  Literally, MORE than a ton of rock has to be turned and broken by hand to find this many complete belemnites from this Cretaceous site.  After we collected these, we then subjected each one to individual microscopic cleaning in our lab.  This procedure revealed seldom-seen surface anatomical detail as seen in the third last photo above.  Every belemnite we have ever encountered for sale had been ground and polished on a grinding machine to remove the rock but doing so, removes all this incredible natural surface detail.  NONE of these specimens have touched a grinding wheel!

After that, each individual belemnite was cleaned with micro-abrasive in our lab.  The investment of time to first, find them, break the rock and remove them, then clean each one in the lab far exceeds the price we are asking.   This set encompasses nearly half of all that we will ever have to sell.  If you want pristine preserved belemnites free from their rock and in the most natural state, this is a fantastic display collection.  Most will glow when held up in the light because they are pure calcite.  We even cleaned the opening in the base of each of the bodies.  Each belemnite has NO REPAIR OR RESTORATION.  These belemnites were darting about below the ocean waves at the same time many incredible large prehistoric marine reptiles like PLESIOSAURS and MOSASAURS chased them about.  It was the same time many of the most ferocious dinosaurs walked the Earth and largest pterodactyls soared in the skies above.

If you appreciate fossil specimens of a nature that are rarely seen on the market, then this set should appeal to you.   These are so unusual and beautiful with their ORIGINAL INTACT ANATOMY that they would also make incredible centerpieces for exotic custom jewelry designs.  The site where this fossil was collected is unique with no commercial fossil production.  This is a exquisitely preserved and excellent display specimen set of these once-prolific creatures of the ancient seas.

Belemnites are extinct straight-shell members of the Cephalopoda that died out at the end of the Cretaceous along with ammonites and dinosaurs.  The term 'straight' cephalopods is used here to describe fossil examples of straight ammonoids called Baculites, straight nautiloids called Orthoceras and Belemnites.