Indonesian Stone Fossilized Shell

A spiral that winds inward, tightly, and then simply stops.

This fossilized shell comes from Sulawesi, Indonesia, and is stone. Fossil shells form when minerals gradually replace the original shell material, keeping the shape of the creature long after the creature itself is gone. Here a thick coil turns in on itself several times, ridged along its outer whorl. The surface is buff and grey, with darker patches and pale mineral crust lodged in the hollows. One side is rounded and smooth, like a stone worn by water. It is 6.5 inches wide and 8 high.

Very slow architecture, built from the inside out.