A beautiful fossil and a genuine fossil are not always the same thing. The higher the price, the stronger the temptation to “improve” a specimen: to fill in what is missing, to assemble a single whole from several finds, to tint the enamel. None of these techniques is a crime in itself — restoration is normal in painting, too. The crime begins where it goes unmentioned. The Maison follows a simple rule: the buyer should know exactly as much about an object as we do.
1. A composite passed off as a single specimen
The most common technique with large pieces — skeletons and skulls. Genuine bones from a single animal may make up 40%, with the rest being bones of other individuals of the same species or high-quality replicas. This is acceptable for a mount, but it radically changes the value. That is why information about restoration must appear in the object’s description and passport — at RELICTUM, it does.
2. Tinted tooth enamel
Megalodon and Tyrannosaurus teeth are prized for the colour and integrity of their enamel. Dark, deep enamel is easy to imitate with dye applied over a faded tooth. Under a loupe with raking light, artificial pigment sits in the micro-cracks differently from natural mineralisation: it “pools” rather than permeates. Under ultraviolet light, dye often fluoresces differently from mineralised enamel.
3. A “restored” cutting edge
For predator teeth, the chief value lies in an untouched serrated edge (the serrations). A chipped edge is often rebuilt with filler and the serrations cut anew. Under high magnification, the new serrations look too regular: nature never produces perfectly even series.
4. A matrix that shouldn’t be there
Sometimes a specimen is “set” into a matrix rock that has nothing to do with it, to give it a museum look or to hide a break. The geology of the matrix must match the geology of the locality. A mismatch in minerals is a red flag, checked under the microscope and through chemical composition.
5. A provenance that doesn’t add up
The most reliable expertise is not about the stone itself but about its biography. Species, rock, region and dating must add up to a consistent story. A trilobite “from Morocco” with a matrix typical of Russia is either a seller’s mistake or a substitution. If an object’s story fails to add up somewhere, that is a reason to ask the seller questions.
None of these signs is visible in a shop window, and almost never in a photograph. That is why an object’s provenance is not a slip of paper in the box but information that must add up to a single story. Every RELICTUM piece comes with a passport stating its provenance, age, condition and all restoration work.
