Newsletter: Fall 2009

Shown here is our fall 2009 email newsletter.  To sign up for future newsletters, email katie@villagesilversmith.net.  Your email address will be used for newsletter purposes only.  For more information on our newsletter, read this blog entry. Click the images below to enlarge them so they can be read clearly.  Special thanks to Elise Karish for offering her advice on the metaphysical  properties of the stones featured in these articles.   

Written by Katie Lovasco.
Browse our Agate Pendants.

Written by Katie Lovasco.
Browse our Quartz Pendants.

 

Written by Curtis Sarkin.

Browse our Reptile Fossils.

 

Written by Katie Lovasco. 

 

Written by Alyssa Cataldo and Katie Lovasco.

More information on Jewelry Care. 

Megalodon Shark Tooth Fossils

The giant Megalodon shark is estimated to have been between 60 and 80 feet long and possibly weighed over 52 tons.  Sharks have existed for over 350 million years, and Megalodon itself appeared 16 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch.  Its fossil teeth have been found globally, and many come from the Carolinas.  The name Megalodon literally means “big tooth” and its teeth can exceed seven inches in length.  Megalodon was a veracious predator and its bite marks have been found on fossilized whale bones.  It might have resembled a modern great white shark, but about six times larger, and these two sharks may belong to the same genus.  Megalodon mysteriously became extinct about 1½ million years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch.
Text by Curtis Sarkin.

A giant Megaolodon tooth from our fossil collection. 
Photo by Curtis Sarkin.

Our new line of Megalodon tooth pendants are wrapped in sterling silver wire. 
Photo by Katie Lovasco.

Email Newsletter

Village Silversmith has recently started an email newsletter, which has information on our jewelry, stones, fossils, stores, and upcoming events.  If you would like to sign up, email katie@villagesilversmith.net.  The newsletter is sent out seasonally, and your email address will be used for newsletter purposes only. 

Photo by Katie Lovasco.

Trilobite Fossils

Trilobites were highly successful sea creatures that appeared over 500 million years ago during the Cambrian Period.  Their fossils have been found globally, and many come from Morocco.  They belonged to a group of hard-shelled invertebrates called arthropods, which includes modern crustaceans, arachnids, insects, and horseshoe crabs. Trilobites evolved into over 15,000  species, making them the most diverse extinct animals ever found.  They ranged from under an inch to almost three feet in length.  Many trilobites had advanced calcite crystal eyes made up of multiple lenses.  The last trilobites died out about 250 million years ago at the end of the Permian Period, when volcanic activity killed about 95% of species.  After this mass extinction, the dinosaurs appeared.
Text by Curtis Sarkin.

Click the image above for a clear view of a trilobite's complex eyes, which are made of multifaceted calcite crystals.

For more information about trilobites, scroll down and watch our Rock Talk videos. 

All the trilobites pictured are from Morocco and date back over 300 million years to the Devonian Period.
Photos by Curtis Sarkin.

Village Silversmith manager John Bajoras interviews a Moroccan fossil dealer.

Filmed by Sara Bajoras.

About Village Silversmith

Welcome to the official blog of Village Silversmith, a family owned and operated business located in northeastern Massachusetts. We have five store locations, which offer a wide variety of exceptional stones set in handmade one-of-a-kind sterling silver jewelry. We also carry an assortment of fossil and mineral specimens, which make impressive display pieces. Our subsidiary, Sierra Madre Mining Company, visits gem shows nationwide.