Natural Nautilus Shell Large , 6" - 7" Purchased from a Private Collectors Estate Sale these rare vintage whole nautilus shells are among the last of their kind for sale as it is no longer ethical to harvest them. Size range is 7-8". Size, shape and color vary as this is a natural item.
A featured item from our Kennebunkport Collection. One-of-a-kind unique items sourced from the Kennebunk’s in southern Coastal Maine. Bring an authentic piece of nautical or coastal history into your home.
DIMENSIONS: 7" l x 4" w x 7" h. sizes are approximate and vary slightly
MATERIALS: Natural Shell whole
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.
