Natural History - Fossil Diplomystus Birdi Fish

Comprising: dioptase on mottramite from Brazil, collection number 118; granite from adjacent to Ruislip Road, Greenford, Middlesex, England, collection number 467; chalcopyrite from Messini Mine, North Transvaal, South Africa, collection number 207; bornite of chalcopyrite from Massini Mine, North Transvaal, South Africa, collection number 210; quartz from England, collection number 133; Blue John from Derbyshire, England, collection number 148; apatite in calcite from Canada, collection number 388; fluorite in biotite, collection number 103; pyrite in quartz from Darwin, California, USA, collection number 422. 988 grams total, 32-91 mm



Acquired on the UK mineral and fossil market, since 1970. From the historic mineral collection of Richard Valentine Cain, London, UK, thence by descent. Each specimen accompanied by an original historic index file card.

A nickel-iron meteorite (IAB). 25.3 grams, 25 mm



From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection.

A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law.

Featuring quartz or agate beads, biconical glass beads and oval tiger's eye beads, with a facetted tear-shaped tiger's eye pendant bead. 36 grams total, 42 cm long



UK gallery, early 2000s.