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Thursday 22 November 2012

Fossil Cupuladriid Bryozoans Pendant

Cupuladriid Bryozoans now that isn’t a word you get to hear every day! The Bryozones are small aquatic creatures that have chalky skeletons and can be found all over the world and are often preserved as fossils when they die. The lady who introduced me to the world of Cupuladriid Bryozoans actually wanted some of the fossils making into a pendant and a paperweight.

Cupuladriid Bryozoans
Cupuladriid Bryozoans


She had studied fossil Bryozoans for her Ph.D and part of that study was researching climate change and the effects on the Bryozoans. Apparently there is a relationship between the Bryozoan size and the temperature it was formed in; so they can help identify the Earth’s temperature at different times in history....that is all I know!

Cupuladriid
Cupuladriids


I do not normally agree with setting fossils within resin. I have bags of fossils at home from my fossil collecting days when I was younger and I wouldn’t dream of setting them in resin. I have always had the opinion that they have survived millions of years so why should they end up in there? She put my mind at ease by telling me that thousands of them exist in the world today and that she has lots of them doing nothing in her loft. Also as part of her research the Cupuladriids are often crushed for testing purposes... this made me feel better!

Anyway here is the pendant that I made with some of the Cupuladriid Bryozoans:

Fossil Pendant - Cupuladriid Bryozoans
Fossil Pendant - Cupuladriid Bryozoans


...and here is the paperweight made using the Bryozoans:

Fossil Paperweight - Cupuladriid Bryozoans
Fossil Paperweight - Cupuladriid Bryozoans


So there is your introduction to the world of Cupuladriid Bryozoans isn’t it fascinating? I love the unusual requests I am getting for my custom made paperweights at the moment; I have received some unusual things including a pound coin, a blade of barley and pork scratching!

Mick

3 comments:

  1. Just dont ask me to pronounce it? and well done on the spelling I would have had no chance. What an interesting subject, something until now I had never heard of.

    love the pendant and paper weight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope I have spelt it correctly else I will look silly won't I! I wonder who comes up with these fancy names?

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  2. Thanks again, Mick, they were fab! Just what I wanted!!

    ReplyDelete

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