Archive for 2017

Madagascan Direct has entered its 10th year of selling high quality fossils and crystals online and we would like to thank all our customers past and present. because without your support we would not be where we are today. Madagascan direct will start to sell a few non Madagascan pieces over the coming months. but our main content will remain to be primarily minerals and fossils from Madagascar. We have contacts all over the world in high quality minerals and we will now…

Rutilated Quartz is a truly beautiful and enchanting mineral inclusion which can vary in colours from a coppery red to the classic golden rutile needles which are generally seen in jewellery. Rutilated quartz was also known as angel hair or venus stone back in the time and it is not difficult to imagine this when you view the fine hair like needle inclusion perfectly trapped in the quartz frozen in time like they were trapped in ice. Rutile the mineral inclusion in the quartz has a triangonal crystal system and a prismatic habit.…

The Logarithmic spiral is a beautiful and alluring shape that draws you in and is very pleasing to the eye. Christopher Wren observed that many Shells formed this spiral including the Nautilus shell which still swims Indo-Pacific waters today. The chambered Nautilus is a Cephalopod and a relative of ancient Ammonoids, it has an external shell and lives on the sea floor during the day and moving to shallower water at night to hunt for …

During my trip to Madagascar in March 2017 i arrived in a huge cyclone and the flight into Antananarivo was very bumpy and the skies were filled with lightning the like i have never seen before. Upon arrival the rain was torrential and the storm blew for another 3 days. Electricity was scarce and many roads were washed out from the heavy rains. The storm was another blow for the Malagasy people and damage to their homes was quite extensive but luckily casualty reports seemed quite minimal bearing in mind the ferocity of the storm. …

Lemurs are a primate that evolved independently to monkeys and apes and are endemic to the island of Madagascar. The word Lemur derives from the word Lemures which means ghosts or spirits in roman mythology and came about due to their nocturnal habits and slow pace. Lemur evolution has produced a very high level of species diversity and this is mainly due to Madagascar's highly seasonal …

Crystals have been revered and sold throughout history. From enigmatic crystal skulls; to clear quartz crystal balls used for fortune-telling; to crystal jewellery; crystals come in many forms. For example, thousands years ago crystals such as carnelians were used to make amulets in Ancient Egypt, where sections of the Book of the Dead were carved onto its surface: the finished product was kept in the deceased’s tomb to help their journey into the afterlife. …

Fossils for Sale have played an essential role in the development of science; particularly in geological and biological research. They also have fantastic aesthetic and historical value, and this has ensured their enduring success in retail throughout the ages. Madagascan Direct is a company which prides itself upon the sale of fine fossils from Madagascar, and in this blog post we hope to provide you with not only general information about the …

Scientists have discovered a fossilized backbone of Miocene Dolphin which could date between 5 and 9 million years old. It is the first ever proof that dolphins once swam the ancient waters around Madagascar. The backbone belongs to an unnamed and previously unlisted species of dolphin the scientists have said. This discovery marks the first fossil discovery of a dolphin from this area. Karen Samonds who is an associate of biological sciences at northern Illinois university found the backbone on the island of Makamby which is a small island off the north west coast of Madagascar,…

We are just about to photograph and list some lovely optical calcite Rhombohedrons which we purchased in October and then had them polished. They look really stunning with striking hues of lavender or a pale citrine like yellow, and also the classic iceland spar clear which is very sharp and bright and water clear, They also display some amazing multi coloured rainbows too.…