If you conduccted an exit poll outside the theater and asked the average moviegoer what they liked best about the just-released Jurassic World, they are sure to reply: “The interior design inspiration!” Just kidding — we’re just slightly more self-aware than that. But we certainly are not shy about embracing a good cultural tie-in, and this week’s addition to the Jurassic Park franchise provides us with the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at one of the coolest categories on 1stdibs: prehistoric artifacts and objets. The below fossils, stones and bones don’t just evoke the era of the dinosaur, they are from the era of the dinosaur (all are millions and millions of years old). Read on to learn more about the oldest — and in some cases, most ferocious — items on 1stdibs.
1. Gorgosaurus Skeleton from Dale Rogers Ammonite
Age: 75 Million Years!
Named after the snake-headed sisters of Greek mythology who could turn people to stone with their gaze, the Gorgosaurus was similar in physique and disposition to its cousin the Tyrannosaurus Rex. This amazing skeleton is approximately 24 feet in length, and tells a very fascinating story about the animal’s tough prehistoric life. Marks and irregularities on the cast reveal a number of pathologies, including bone fractures, infections and even a brain tumor. It has also been remarkably preserved — each bone was taken apart, cleaned and re-articulated to provide for an excellent exhibition experience.
2. Mosasaur Jaw from Dale Rogers Ammonite
Age: 90 Million Years!
If you’ve seen this poster for Jurassic World, than you are well acquainted with the jaws of the Mosasaur. The carnivorous — obviously — Mosasaur was an aquatic lizard who lived during the Cretaceous Period and could grow to 50 feet in length; picture an overgrown snake-shark hybrid. Even more terrifying was the animal’s dental anatomy, which featured four rows of spiky teeth for optimized underwater hunting. The above jaw is nearly five feet long, and hails from Morocco.
3. Sphere of Silicified Fossil Wood from Antik Arte & Scienza
Age: 20-200 Million Years!
It is hard to tell at first glance, but this polished orb originated as a tree trunk in Madagascar. In the intervening years, it underwent a process called silicification (most likely through exposure to a volcano) which leeched the wood of all water and turned it to stone. The piece’s geometric shape and striking variegated color give it an ultra-modern look: we’re calling it the contemporary take on prehistory.
4. Fossilized Wood Table from Dale Rogers Ammonite
Age: 235 Million Years Old!
Coloration this rich doesn’t happen overnight — in fact, it takes hundreds of millions of years and a precise alchemy of minerals. This particular slab comes from Arizona (trivia: petrified wood has been designated the state fossil there) and originated in the Jurassic Era.
5. Pair of Megalodon Cufflinks from Kimberly Klosterman
Age: 2-15 Million Years Old!
The only appropriate choice for when the dress code calls for “Cenozoic chic.” Fabricated into cufflinks in the 1960s, this pair of megalodon teeth offers a glimpse at the menacing character of its owner. The megalodon was the prehistoric equivalent of the great white shark, except 50 feet longer and believed to be substantially more aggressive in temperament; some evidence even suggests that they consumed whales. The extinct megalodon has long been an object of fascination for humans — Europeans in the Middle Ages believed that the teeth were dragon tongues.
6. Iridescent Ammonite from Dale Rogers Ammonite
Age: 75 Million Years!
This gorgeous fossil comes courtesy of an ammonite — imagine a prehistoric squid — who lived around modern-day Canada approximately 75 million years ago. Ammonites went extinct at the same time as most dinosaurs, but many of their nautilus shells have endured thanks to advantageous conditions (lots of minerals, little oxygen) for fossilization on sea floors. When an ammonite develops the opal-like, iridescent color — the result of years of high pressure and temperatures — seen above, it’s designated a gemstone and called ammolite. Fun fact: ammolite, in addition to pearl and amber, is one of only three gemstones to come from plant or animal matter.
7. Ostlingoceras Ammonite from Dale Rogers Ammonite
Age: 100 Million Years!
Another spectacular ammonite specimen. This one is particularly noteworthy due to the fact that it has retained its rows of miniature spikes. And, since it hails from Cretaceous-era southern France, it might properly be considered a French antique.
8. Palm Frond Fossil from Dale Rogers Ammonite
Age: 55 Million Years!
This exquisite piece comes from the Green River Formation in Wyoming, a geological formation where one can literally see millions of years of Eocene Period history by examining rock striations. Turns out, Wyoming 50 million years ago was a lot like present-day Florida: humid, swampy and teeming with tropical flora. This palm frond fossil is remarkable both for its size — nearly 4.5 feet high — and its simple, primitive beauty. We like to think of it as the proto-banana leaf wallpaper.
9. Crinoid Fossil Plate from Old Plank
Age: 450-600 Million Years!
This incredible fossil plate dates to the Paleozoic Era — which is to say, it’s extremely, impressively old. A crinoid, as it turns out, is a distant relative of the starfish and sea urchin. And they were extremely prevalent in prehistoric times, so much so that entire beds of limestone were formed from their desiccated body parts; this piece is actually comprised entirely of calcified specimens.
10. Mosasaur Tooth from Dale Rogers Ammonite
Age: 90 Million Years!
If an entire jaw is too shudder-inducing for your taste — or you’re running out of wall space — consider going with a lone Mosasaur tooth instead. It’s the subtle way to do dino-themed decor.
