Description
Science and beauty are rarely in conflict. Here they converge. Radiolarites are siliceous sedimentary rocks formed from the accumulated silica skeletons of radiolarians — single-celled marine organisms with intricate geometric glass skeletons — deposited on the deep ocean floor over millions of years. California’s Marin Headlands radiolarites, now exposed as the Franciscan Complex, were formed in the middle of the Pacific and scraped off as the oceanic plate subducted under North America.
This specimen originates from Chert Melange, Marin County, California, USA, one of the world’s most significant localities for this type of material. Collectors and scientists have drawn from this region for generations, and for good reason: the combination of geological conditions here produces specimens of exceptional quality and clarity.
Every specimen is unique. Photographs approximate the visual experience, but the real thing — its weight, its luster under a raking light, the way it catches the corner of your eye — can only be experienced directly.
