Diatom Art

From the website:

"Diatoms are one of several groups of algae which biomineralize silicate. Deposition of silicate results in rigid, opaline cell walls which can take on a complex variety of geometric shapes. Their beauty has delighted generations of researchers, and diatoms are studied by hobbyists as well as professionals. In Victorian times, it was a popular pastime to painstakingly mount cleaned shells, or frustules on permanent slides and admire their intricate structure. The most spectacular manifestation of this endeavor was the creation of "arranged" slides - microscopic pictures only a millimeter or two across, made out of individually placed diatom shells."

Diatom Art

via an old friend: the museum of dust