Jewellery
Italy
In the Maiella region of Italy, there has been a long tradition of mounting polished fossil corals in silver to form pendants called 'stregonia'. These were believed to ward off evil spirits and to bring good luck to the wearer. They could also be used against witches and were said to be effective medicine against worms. In some stregonia fossil sharks' teeth were used instead of corals.
India
Some remarkable specimens from India in The Natural History Museum collections consist of bead-like replicas of Jurassic brachiopod fossils, possibly carved from wood, which have been painted in bright colours. According to Oakley (1978) the painting is in a style known as the 'buta pattern' and may suggest that these fossil brachiopod shells were equated with the sacred tortoise shells of Buddhist thought. They are believed to date from the mid-19 th century and to have come from Kashmir.
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