Composite
Also: composited, assembled specimen
A specimen built from parts of more than one fossil, or partly sculpted, then presented as a single piece. Composites must always be disclosed; an undisclosed one is misrepresentation.
A composite is a fossil assembled from pieces that did not originally belong together — for example, the blade of one Megalodon tooth joined to the root of another, with filler bridging the gap. The term also covers specimens partly sculpted from scratch. Composites can exist legitimately for display, but only when they are clearly labeled.
Composite vs. simple restoration
The line between heavy restoration and a composite is the source of the added material. Restoration rebuilds the missing parts of one tooth with inert filler; a composite borrows real fossil material from a second specimen. Either way the buyer deserves to know, because a composite is not a single natural tooth and should never carry the price of one.
Spotting and disclosing composites
Mismatched patina across the blade and root, abrupt color seams, or filler at the join are common tells. We do not sell undisclosed composites, and anything assembled is described as such on its certificate of authenticity. Our guide on identifying a real Megalodon tooth shows what these seams look like.