Dino Day

Join Village Silversmith in the Lower Level, Nordstrom Wing Friday for Kidgits Dino Day at Northshore Mall! Learn about dinosaur bones and teeth and even mine for your own dinosaur skeletons! This event is free and open to the public!

When: Friday, April 23, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Where: Northshore Mall, 210 Andover Street, Peabody, MA 

Spinosaurus dinosaur teeth from Morocco.

Photo by Curtis Sarkin.

Black Friday Sale

On Black Friday, November 27, 2009 (one day after Thanksgiving), our store in the Northshore Mall in Peabody, MA will be opening at 5:00 AM. We will be offering 10% off all merchandise from 5:00AM – 9:00AM!  We have never done a sale like this before so take advantage while this offer is available. 

Sunday, November 22, 2009 marked our first year at the Northshore Mall, and this is currently our newest and largest store.  Drop by and browse our amazing collection of sterling silver jewelry, fossils, and minerals! 

Photo by Katie Lovasco.

VS Brochure

Shown here is Village Silversmith's informational brochure, created by Katie Lovasco.  It tells about the history of our business, the variety of our collection, the locations of our stores, and our online networks.  Click the images below to enlarge them so they can be read clearly.  Brochures are available at the Village Silversmith stores.  

Browse our Pendant Collection.

Keichousaurus Fossils

Keichousaurus was a small long-necked aquatic reptile about a foot in length.  It lived during the Triassic Period, over 200 million years ago.  During the Triassic, the oldest known dinosaurs appeared. Keichousaurus skeletons come from China, a country which is famous for its exceptional fossils.  When the people of ancient China first began to discover fossils of unfamiliar creatures, they believed that they were dragon bones.  Keichousaurus had a long neck and a mouth full of tiny sharp teeth.  Skeletons found with embryos inside  suggest that Keichousaurus gave birth to live young rather than laying eggs.  Reptiles descended from fish, and even after becoming independent from the water, certain reptiles readapted to an aquatic lifestyle.

Text by Curtis Sarkin. 

Browse our Reptile Fossils.

Mosasaur Fossils

Mosasaurs were giant marine reptiles, which probably evolved from land-dwelling lizards.  Their fossils have been found globally, and date back over 65 million years ago to the Cretaceous Period, the last period of the age of dinosaurs.  Many mosasaur fossils, including teeth and jawbones, are found in the phosphate mines of Morocco.   Mosasaurs resembled long crocodiles with strong paddle-like tails and small webbed feet.  They ranged in size from about ten feet to over sixty feet in length.  Fossil evidence, including bite marks and stomach contents, confirm that mosasaurs were top predators and fed upon sharks, seabirds, turtles, ammonites, and smaller mosasaurs.  Mosasaurs became extinct 65 million years ago when an asteroid struck Earth.

Text by Curtis Sarkin.    

Browse our Reptile Fossils. 

Reconstructed mosasaur jaws from Morocco.

Mosasaur teeth from Morocco.

Photos by Curtis Sarkin.

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.