Vintage Natural Nautilus Shell, Bisected , 6" x 5" x 2" Purchased from a Private Collectors Estate Sale this rare vintage bisected nautilus shell has been bisected to show all the interior chambers of the shell. It has developed a unique patina that can only happen with years of age outside of the water, we find it exceptionally beautiful. It was collected by the original owner in the 1970's. Nautilus Shells are becoming rare in they marketplace as they are among the last of their kind for sale. It is no longer ethical to harvest them.
DIMENSIONS: 6" x 5" x 2"
MATERIALS: Natural Shell bisected to show interior chambers
HISTORY & FACTS: The National Marine Fisheries Service gave Endangered Species Act protection today to the chambered nautilus, which is threatened with extinction due to over harvesting for the international shell trade. Over the past 16 years, nearly 1.7 million nautilus shell products were imported into the United States.
Nautilus shells were popular items in the Renaissance and Baroque cabinet of curiosities and were often mounted by goldsmiths on a thin stem to make extravagant nautilus shell cups.
Mathematicians have learned to use Fibonacci’s sequence to describe certain shapes that appear in nature. These shapes are called logarithmic spirals, and Nautilus shells are just one example. You also see logarithmic spiral shapes in spiral galaxies, and in many plants such as sunflowers. Nature forms these spirals in the most efficient way possible, and mathematicians have learned to describe them, using Fibonacci’s sequence.
