Petrified Palm Wood (Chalcedony replacement)

Item Description

Here we have an unusual an attractive piece of rarely seen petrified palm wood (Palmoxylon) from Indonesia. It should be noted that this is more of a pseudomorph in my mind as, this 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. The piece has an attractive form and is one of the few pieces I have seen from this area. 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!