Orthoceras 7593f763218830c761b012aecc3068f6 These pockets can be broken

These pockets can be broken up over time

normally found still attached to its host matrix rock

its burl is a dense wood with a high oil content

or the very rare red topaz

Prized for their beauty and spiritual renewal

Orthoceras 7593f763218830c761b012aecc3068f6 These pockets can be broken350 million years ago these extinct relatives of the chambered nautilus flourished in a warm, shallow sea which covered what is now the Sahara Desert. As the shells of these creatures accumulated on the sea floor they were buried by sediment and, over the ages, transformed into stone by physical and chemical processes. Today, this stone is quarried and polished by Moroccan craftsmen to reveal a rare glimpse of ancient life on Earth.