Petrified Palm Wood (Chalcedony replacement)

Item Description

This is an unusual an attractive polished example of rarely seen petrified palm wood (Palmoxylon) from Indonesia. It's important to point out that that this is more of a pseudomorph in my mind as, it is actually a replacement of the wood by cryptocrystalline Quartz (most likely Chalcedony). During the replacement process, tree trunks were buried under several hundred yards of sediment. Over the course of time the wood was replaced by Chalcedony which was carried in underground waters. Due to the slow steady process, even the most minute details of the woody structure was preserved. This "Freeform Cabochon" cut gem is one of the better pieces of this material that I've ever had to offer. You can see the "grain" of the wood, although it's more of a spotted appearance than growth lines. The stone actually passes light when strongly backlit as well. If you collect unique stones in the Quartz family, don't miss out on this one!