Onyx  

Onyx, also called travertine of flow stone is formed by hydro-thermal alteration of limestone. Hot underground water dissolves calcium carbonate in the limestone, and it is precipitated as onyx.  The banding results from continuous sequential deposition of the carbonate minerals. Different colors are caused by trace amounts of impurities.

this beautiful stone is from the Balochistan Province in western Pakistan. Skilled artisans turn solid stone blocks on lathes to create beautiful bowls, vases and plates.

Onyx is soft with a hardness of 3.  Use care to protect the polished surface.  Acidic food and wine will dull the surface of the stone items.  No dishwasher or microwave, please.

Spiral Shell  The wine goblets in the gift box are spiral shell. The 2 standing pairs are white onyx and banded onyx.

Spiral shell limestone filled with gastropods was formed during the Tertiary period between 15 and 40 million years ago. Limestones are sedimentary rocks that formed at the bottoms of lakes and seas, as silt and organic matter settle to the bottom.  As more and more layers build up over time, adding more and more weight, heat and pressure cause reactions to take place that lithify the sediments into solid stone.

This limestone is found, turned on lathes and polished by skilled artisans in Pakistan.

Use care to protect the polished surface.  Acidic food and wine will dull the surface of the stone items.  No dishwasher or microwave, please.

Ammonite Photo shows an ammonite and labradorite from Madacascar.

Alligaticeras, an extinct fossil cephalopod from the family Perisphinctidae, lived in shallow seas which covered what is now Madagascar during the mid-Jurassic, approximately 180,000,000 years ago. The chamber has been cut and carefully polished to show septa that separate former living chambers, which are now filled with calcite.