Product
Do you sell real fossils?
We sell what are known as casts, replicas, and reproductions of real bones. These are not real bones or real fossils. We do not sell actual bones.
How are your replicas made?
Fossil Crates products are made from casts of the real bones. We follow a proprietary process outlined in the steps below for each cast we make.
- The original bone is encased in a special material that makes a mold of it. A mold is made by hand so as to not harm the fossil and so we can obtain the most detail possible in the mold.
- The mold is then filled with resin to make a cast. The cast is solid, it is not hollow like many casts you may find.
- A few hours later the mold is cracked open and a cast is born!
- The cast is allowed to dry for a few hours and then inspected for defects. Upon passing inspection it moves to the painting stage.
- A paleoartist, using the original fossil as a guide, begins painting the cast. A base coat is applied and, when dry, the bulk of the painting is then done. When it dries again a dry brush is used to capture the fine details. Being hand-painted each cast will vary slightly from the next, just like actual fossils (no two are ever identical!).
- The final product is checked one last time for quality before receiving its Certificate of Authenticity and being carefully packaged ready to find its forever home!
What else comes with my fossil casts?
All fossils come with an identification card including information such as species, age, location and formation, exclusive paleo artwork, and a Certificate of Authenticity.
If you've purchased a Crate (or a very large replica like the unnamed megaraptor hand claw or Utahraptor killing claw), you will have the option to ho have your specimens shipped in a Wooden or Standard (cardboard) Crate!