SiS: Incredible Quality Large Petrified Tree Fern - Color & Polish
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:15638026 |
This is one of the largest slabs of this variety of petrified tree fern that I've ever cut. It's from one of the most beautiful pastel agate colored varieties of this incredibly well preserved fossil I've ever had the pleasure of cutting. This "white skin" variety is almost like porcelain - it's so well agatized, it is truly gem grade material - it really polishes up nicely! It's a gorgeous, larger slab with a perfect shape and am...azing colors in a procelain like agate that is harder than most tree fern specimens from this forest - by far! This is the single larest specimen I've ever cut from this particular region. Most of what is found there is either Tietea (most common) or Psaronius (considerably less common). This one seems to have features in common with both and I'm wondering if it's possibly a third species, but I cannot say for certain. The structure is immaculately preserved however and will lend itself to easy study. The polish we're able to achieve on this particular variety is simply a sight to behold and that it's shown off on a 1/4 billion year old fossil just makes it that much more amazing! I've recently returned from what must be the greatest of all rockhounding adventures ever! I spent a week in Brazil, part of it in the new state of Tocantins. This is the area that is producing the fabulous petrified tree ferns we've seen in recent years. I was able to find some in the field, and hand select several choice logs that I'll be cutting and polishing for months to come. This particular round is one of the best preserved, gem grade specimens I've finished so far. The log produced these lovely pastel colored rounds with a very high agate content. The color is subtle, but gorgeous. The soft pastel shades range from pink to orange and yellow with sharp contrasting zones of black and white. I'm getting to know the material and these chalk white colored logs always seem to have the highest agate density. The polish is really amazing and it allows me to show off all the detail in the well preserved trunk. Without a doubt, one of the most interesting and beautiful stones I've ever seen from that part of the world and an exciting new twist for my own petrified wood collection. These pre-historic plants weren't trees at all (technically) but they did grow to be quite tall and they left behind some of the best petrified "wood" you'll ever see. The fossils are reminiscent of petrified palm with a very interesting and unsual "heart". The outer portion of the round looks a lot like palm wood with little rice grain like patterns uniformly distributed around it. 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. The only thing that rivals the incredible detail in these ancient fossils is the colors that they're preserved in. Black, orange and white are typical of this particular log deposit - anything else is a bonus. This particular piece is Tietea singularis. 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. I've cut, lapped and polished these myself to produce real cabinet specimens worthy of a place in the finest petrified wood collection. This is a complete and virtually flawless round. 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. The colors are exotic & rich, and the entire piece is completely preserved in a very high grade of agate. The high agate content allows this stone to be polished to a liquid perfect, lustrous finish that only the best grades of fossil wood can achieve. This one is about average for the size of the logs I found from this part of the deposit. All in all, this is a fine round from one of the most interesting locations you could hope to find. This piece measures about 6 1/2" across the polished face and is cut about 0.44" thick. Weight is 1.10 lbs. Stands sold separately. Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary is happily providing UPS & USPS 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!
