This stone formed over hundreds of millions of years, hidden in layers of ancient seabeds—compressed from the microscopic silica shells of marine plankton into a dense, fine-grained rock called chert. Found in bands within limestone or dolomite, chert is a cryptocrystalline variety of quartz, its internal structure so compact that it fractures with razor-sharp precision. It can be dull gray, glossy black, or tinged with reds and browns from iron oxides, depending on the chemistry of the ancient oceans in which it formed. Chert’s ability to fracture conchoidally—breaking like glass into curved, shell-like flakes—made it one of the first materials intentionally shaped by human hands. For tens of thousands of years, it was used by early humans across the world to craft tools, blades, and most famously, arrowheads. Through the process of flintknapping, skilled hands struck precise blows to shape chert into points capable of piercing hide and bone, transforming a sedimentary rock into a hunting weapon. Each arrowhead is the result of both geological time and human ingenuity—stone born in ancient oceans, then shaped in firelit camps by people whose survival depended on its edge. May be sharp—handle carefully! Arrowheads are approximately 2" long. Modern carving. Comes in pack of 4.
