Complete crowns of crinoids are among the rare finds in the Devonian of the Eifel. In this case it is a large crown of Halocrinites lying in the middle of a plate with opened arms. It was found and secured by the owner and its preparation started. The piece then came to my workshop for the completion of the preparation. 

Since the crown is compressed, the fossil was not fully exposed in order to achieve an aesthetically pleasing result. There were several cracks running through the plate and the crown, which were secured with glue to prevent them from breaking apart. Since the rock is quite marly, the preparation could be carried out very well using fine air abrasives. The space between the opened arms was completely freed from very sticky rock. At the end of the preparation the crown turned out to be an extremely attractive and impressive collection piece. 

Fossil: Halocrinites abbreviatus GOLDFUSS 1839

Locality: Eifel (Germany)

Formation: Middle Devonian, Ahbach-Loogh Formation

Length of crown: 8 cm (3.15 inches)

Work required: 7 hours