Dickinsonia Fossil Cufflinks

Dickinsonia is a marine fossil that dates to the pre-Cambrian Ediacaran period. It was a flat, oval organism with bilateral symmetry that ranged in size from several millimeters to 1.4 meters in length. Its growth was thought to be indeterminate; that is, it continually added ridges to its body until it died. Recently it was determined, based on identification of cholesterol extracted from fossils, that Dickinsonia belongs to the animal kingdom (Bobrovskiy et al, Science 361(6408):1246-1249) solving a longtime paleontological puzzle. Dickinsonia is now considered the oldest known animal in the fossil record.

The head of each cufflink measures 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) by 1.15 cm (0.45 inches). The stem of the cufflink is arched so that the head of the cufflink lays flat on the shirt cuff.