Fossil Crinoid Beads

Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea of the echinoderms (phylum Echinodermata). Crinoidea comes from the Greek word krinon, "a lily", and eidos, "form". They live both in shallow water and in depths as great as 6,000 meters. Crinoids are still alive today but they are also some of the oldest fossils on the planet. A fossil is the remains of once living animals and plants. These beads are made from natural fossil crinoid material and show interesting patterns and structures. They are natural tan/grey colour with cream, grey, brown and pinkish grey patterns.