SiS: BEAUTIFULLY PRESERVED Tietea Tree Fern Slab - Square Corner Specimen
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:15507171 |
This is one of the more interesting tree fern slabs I've cut recently. It's formed with distinctive 'square' corners that represent the points where the fern frond branches would form on the side of the trunk. Each of the fern frond bases forms one of the corners in an absolutely balanced specimen. This one came from near the top of the tree as evidenced by the center xylem being made up almost entirely of fern... frond bundles and very little root mantle. This explains how it was able to provide such a wonderful, well preserved shape! One corner appears to have decomposed before being petrified, probably because this is the area that was touching the ground after the trunk fell. The structure is particularly clear and revealed in magnificent detail in the mirror polished face. Have a look at this one under magnification for a fascinating treat!A few years ago in Tucson I saw some fabulous petrified tree fern specimens the likes of which I'd never laid eyes on. They were detailed, fascinating in their structure, and very colorful. They had the typical (poor) import polish on them, but I purchased several nearly complete specimens, brought them home and reworked them into truly beautiful collectibles. Since then, I've tracked down the one miner who can legally export these fossils and visited his home and his claim in Brazil. The trip would leave me talking for days, but I'll leave that for our website. What you can see here is one of the world class tree fern specimens we imported as a result of that trip. The fossils are reminiscent of petrified palm with a very interesting and unusual "heart". The outer portion of the round looks a lot like palm wood with little rice grain like patterns uniformly distributed around it (this is the root mantle). The interior section is made up of a larger, less dense pattern where the heart appears to be made up of thick macaroni or brain shaped patterns (these are the bundled fern xylem). This species is Tietea singularus, and comes from the Tocantins state in Brazil. The only thing that rivals the incredible detail in these ancient fossils is the colors that they're preserved in. The best of these specimens are captured in brilliant reds, yellows, purples and other appealing colors. It's Permian which makes it about 1/4 of a Billion years old! Unbelievably well preserved for it's age to say the least. This log was preserved with exceptionally good quality agate that took a beautiful finish. By selecting the specimens myself, I was able to choose those that could be worked into the finest show case specimens. I've cut, lapped and polished them on equipment I built myself to produce world class display specimens unlike anything you'll ever find in a retail shop. It takes a lot of dedication and attention to detail to produce real cabinet specimens worthy of a place in the finest petrified wood collections and at Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary, that's how we treat every piece we produce! Our finishes are second to none - really!! This reasonably complete round is cut from the center of a large petrified fern log. It's a rich golden color (better than the photo can convey) and has tons of detail revealed in the mirror polished face. The cell structure is almost shimmering as the tiny pores fill with agate and produce a captivating three dimensional display that only the very highest grades of these fossils can reveal (another detail you'll have to see in person to truly appreciate). The square shape is a result of the perfect symmetry of the frond bases that again show how flawless this one is! If the timeless mystery of this piece isn't enough for you, then I'm certain the simple, natural, gemmy beauty of it will be. This piece is fairly typical of the average size in this deposit and measures about 5 3/8" across the polished face (corner to corner). It is cut about 0.43" thick. It's a sturdy slab that weighs about 0.66 lbs. Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary is happily providing UPS shipping to greatly reduce shipping charges on large rock orders. We will combine all of your purchases from our shop to bring you the greatest possible value in fine Lapidary & stone collectibles!
00095
00095
