When it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts, jewelry is usually a pretty safe bet. However, if you want to step things up a bit this year, don’t settle for the generic department store stuff. Instead, get your special someone something totally unique. Something they didn’t even know was possible. Something thousands or even millions of years in the making. Get them a one-of-a-kind piece curated and handcrafted by the folks at Mini Museum.
Since their initial launch in 2014, Mini Museum has been making miniature collections of rare and unique objects from earth and beyond that span billions of years of natural and human history. Housed in beautiful acrylic blocks that are easily handled and displayed, these amazing collections have included things like extraterrestrial amino acids, dinosaur bones, moon rocks, Amazon River water, Apollo 11 specimens, pieces of the White House, and so much more. More recently, Mini Museum started offering individual specimens in an effort to cater to collectors with more specific interests. And now they are even turning some specimens into gorgeous jewelry so that can be worn and appreciated anywhere, anytime.
Want to wow your beloved with jewelry like nothing she’s ever seen this Valentine’s Day? Below are a few of Mini Museum’s most interesting pieces.
These stunning necklaces are made from hand-selected Egyptian faience beads that date to the 1st Millennia BCE. The beads were sourced from a private collection originally acquired through the Egyptian Museum in Cairo during the late 1970s. Mini Museum’s acquisition was reviewed and certified as authentic by the American Research Center in Egypt, the Association of Dealers & Collectors of Ancient & Ethnographic Art, and the Archaeological Institute of America. Each necklace is handmade and completely unique. It comes in a decorative box and includes a small information card which serves as the certificate of authenticity.
Egyptian faience beads are products of remarkable craftsmanship. Designed to mimic the luster of rare jewels, these tiny ceramics were made from silica, ash, and lime that was pulverized; combined with copper, cobalt, magnesium, and other metals; turned into a paste and formed into beads; then fired in kilns that reached over 1400ºF.
As gorgeous today as they were 3,000 years ago, these rare Egyptian mummy beads would make an impressive addition to any jewelry collection. And you can choose between a beautiful sterling silver or 14k gold-filled 18-inch cable-style necklace.
Dracula, the blood-sucking immortal who sleeps in a coffin and turns into a bat, is not real. So technically speaking you can’t actually own “Dracula soil.” However! Prince Vlad Tepes III of the House of Drăculești, Warlord of Wallachia, a.k.a. Vlad the Impaler, a.k.a. the guy who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula—he was very real. And now you or someone you love can wear a piece of his ancestral home around your neck.
During the mid 1400s, Prince Vlad III became a hero in Romania for his exploits and cunning guerrilla warfare tactics against the encroaching Ottoman Empire. He was particularly famous for the exceptional cruelty he exhibited toward his enemies, which included impaling tens of thousands of captured Turks on giant spikes.
This piece of jewelry consists of a vial of earth from the grounds of the Cetatea Poenari, the citadel of Prince Vlad’s ancestors. The vial measures approximately one inch, while the box style chain measures 18 inches. Both the cap on the vial and the chain are sterling silver. The necklace comes in a black gift box and includes a small information card about the specimen which serves as the certificate of authenticity.
Don’t worry, this piece is not as gross as it sounds. In fact, it’s not gross at all. The dinosaur poop in question is completely fossilized. Over millions of years, minerals like chalcedony and quartz replaced the original organic material, creating a colorful stone called coptrolite. And it just so happens that, when polished, this rich, colorful stone makes really gorgeous jewelry.
The coprolite used for this jewelry collection is agatized sauropod coprolite from the Morrison Formation in Utah. This region was home to a huge floodplain ecosystem about 150 million years ago. Now it’s one of the most studied fossil beds on the planet.
Available as a pendant necklace or pendant earrings, the pieces in this collection are made of hand-polished pieces of coprolite. They come in a decorative box with a small information card which serves as the certificate of authenticity. The jewelry pieces also come with a small anti-tarnish bag to protect the silver elements of the piece during storage and transport. The Dinosaur Poop Pendant Necklace features five coprolite beads strung in a vertical column, accented with a sterling silver tassel, on an 18 inch sterling silver chain. The Dinosaur Poop Pendant Earrings feature two polished coprolite beads with sterling silver components.
It’s not everyday you come across jewelry that’s millions of years old. So don’t wait around until these are all sold out. Click here to order your Mini Museum jewelry right now.
Futurism fans: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with an affiliate partner. We may collect a small commission on items purchased through this page. This post does not necessarily reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff.
