Elimia Turitella Agate Pendant

Pendant of a turitella agate stone in an ornate, antique swirl styled 925 silver plated frame. Including the bail, it measures 2 3/8 inches long, 1 1/8 inch wide. This organic gem material was incorrectly named decades ago when the christener thought that the spectacular spiral-shaped gastropod (snail) fossils entombed within the stone were members of the marine Turritella genus. That was a mistake. Instead, the fossils are of the freshwater snail, Elimia tenera, a member of the Pleuroceridae family. Before the correct name was realized and widely published, the gem material became quite popular and the name "Turritella" went wild in lapidary magazines, gem, mineral, and fossil books, catalogs, and exhibits. Only a fraction of the people who have collected the material, cut it into cabochons, sold it, bought it, or worn it in jewelry have any knowledge that Elimia is a more appropriate name.