Polished Natural Copal with Insect Inclusions with Hand Pocket Magnifier - Choose from Drop Down Menu
Natural Copal with insect inclusions containing tiny insects which have by chance become trapped in tree resin many thousands of years ago.Over time, the resin transforms to the beautiful honey coloured substance we know as copal .The insects have literally been stopped in their tracks, allowing us to glimpse a moment in time, literally thousands of years ago. A great educational tool or gift for the junior fossil enthusiast. The tiny insects are is quite hard to see properly with the naked eye. However, it can be seen in its minute detail with the pocket hand lens magnifier supplied. Small laminated card supplied as seen in pictures. EACH SPECIMEN IS DIFFERENT, SO YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM DROP DOWN MENU. THE SMALLER PIECES COME IN AN ACRYLIC COLLECTORS BOX, WHEREAS THE LARGER ONES COME WITH AN ACRYLIC DISPLAY STAND. SEE EACH DROP DOWN OPTION .
The hand Lens Magnification ( Jeweller`s Loupe) 30 x -21 mm is in a carrier case. Coated with a silver colour. It enables you to get a close view of even the tiniest objects. The lens is made from optical glass. The neat and compact size makes it easy to have in your pocket. Small items can be seen at magnification. It can open up an interesting world of seeing even the tiniest detail. Makes a useful addition for collectors, and can help to view fossils, amber, stamps , petals, leaves, flowers, insects more clearly. Great educational tool to support an interest in collecting and looking at things in greater detail. It is important to recognise that it should be used differently form a magnifying glass. To get the best view, the lens needs to be held close to your eye, while at the same time, bringing the object closer and closer until it comes into focus. Making sure the light is good will also make a difference. It is important to point out that there are many varieties of jeweller’s loupes/ hand lens magnifying tools on the market. Some of them are of a very high specification and are used for examining expensive diamonds and gems. This is a basic and inexpensive model. I use it myself to view insects in amber and copal and for a closer look at my fossils. It may take a little time to master the technique, but once you have, you can use it to view lots of other small objects. .5253
Date: 10 to 40 000 Years Old
Provenance: Madagascar
Size: The size scale is shown in each individual picture.
Condition; The copal is polished. Some good detail can be seen, using the hand magnifier. 5253
What is a Fossil?
Fossils give fascinating prehistorical evidence of past life on our planet.
Usually, fossilization starts once the animal or plant has died. Most animals and plants are eaten or simply recycled back into the earth. The best fossils occur when this process happens rapidly, shortly after death has occurred. Conditions have to be exactly right for a fossil to be produced. Most commonly, this is below water. Decay and deterioration are slowed down because the specimen is covered or entombed in either sediment, muds, sands or volcanic ash or other material, layer upon layer, and over a period that is hard to imagine, usually thousands to millions of years.
Preservation takes place very gradually, as it compacts, it slowly turns to rock. Over time, the plant or animal is replaced by minerals and with chemical changes, leaving an extraordinary replica of the original. In some cases, the pressure and temperature increase, caused by sedimentation, can result in the release of hydrogen and oxygen, leaving a carbon impression of the specimen in sedimentary rock. This process is called carbonization.
Fossils can become preserved in various different ways. For example, wood can become petrified by a process of minerals seeping into the saturated wood, resulting in a gradual process of the wood becoming hard, and resembling stone, often with extraordinary colours. In perimineralization or petrification, after the soft structures have decayed, the hard parts, in particular bones, remain. In some cases, the other minerals completely replace the original specimen. Generally, most fossils represent the hard parts such as bones, shells, leaves, seeds or woody parts of plants.
Fossils can be internal or external moulds of the original specimen. They can also be the some of the original matter, impregnated with chemicals such as silica or calcite.
Fossils can also be indirect, such as in animal foot prints or burrows. These are known as trace fossils.