SiS: 13" Chinle WOODWORTHIA Petrified Wood Round - Rare AZ - Estate Collection!

Regular price $447.00

This large, complete cross section fossil Woodworthia slab is a seldom seen petrified wood variety from Northern Arizona. It is found in the Chinle formation and represents some of the best preserved petrified wood in terms of external and internal wood structure that is found in that part of the world. This is a highly silicified trunk that polished to a truly mirror like finish. Not all of the petrified wood in this region is highly silicified but this one is and it polished really well to produce a truly beautiful display specimen. The macro structure of rays leading to the bed scars on the rind are easily visible. Those white veins are a combination of agate and crystal and they look amazing in contrast to the darker agate color of the fossilized wood. This slab came from the Jim Leicht collection and is an excellent example of the superior and unique specimens Jim collected. The back of this slab has been reinforced with fiberglass which adds slightly to strength but also significantly improves shock resistance during normal handling. A truly unique specimen guaranteed to enhance any collection!

NOTE: This specimen was acquired by Jim Leicht and became part of his amazing collection. The identification and index tags on the back are from Jim and have been left in place for posterity.

This is a truly amazing, beautifully prepared petrified wood specimen that has been cut and prepared with skill. This slab was part of the Jim Leicht estate collection. Jim lived in the foothills of Mt. Hood in Oregon. During his long collecting career he amassed not one but two world class petrified wood collections. His first collection he sold and donated in the late 20th century to focus his passion on spheres. But even his sphere collection filled with petrified wood and his tastes and interests shifted again to the pursuit of world class petrified wood collector pieces. This piece comes from that second collecting effort which itself spanned more than 30 years. I had the good privilege of knowing Jim and we'd trade from time to time for pieces neither of us could live without. This slab is one of the few pieces from that collection to finally make it back into circulation for a new collector to cherish. Jim collected petrified wood from all over the world but, like many, was particularly fond of the gem grade wood found in the Pacific Northwest. I visited Jim's collection a few times over the years and always admired the breadth of his incredible specimens. He was "old school" and much preferred to keep track of other collectors and collections with frequent phone calls, which proved to be an invaluable source of tips and leads not just for him, but for everyone fortunate enough to be on his call list! Those of us who knew him will miss his friendly, passionate view of both the hobby and those who participate in it. The bulk of his collection remains in the hands of another private collector who has asked me to assist with offering a few duplicates to balance the collection.

I have only seen maybe a half dozen of the good lapidary grade fossil Woodworthia logs from the Northern Arizona deposit that produced this one in all my years of rockhounding. Most are kept whole, but a few are solid enough to allow for nice slabbed specimens. The wood from these fossils does not always polish to the same degree that the highly agatized wood found in the northwest or further south in Arizona does, but this one certainly did and it makes a fine specimen worthy of display in a serious petrified wood collection. The colors are earthy and resemble the desert patina found on stones in the region with subtle grays, whites, greens and other uncommon Arizona colors. The structure in this one is among the finest I've ever seen with clear rays and exquisitely detailed microstructure. Woodworthia is easily recognized by the spine/bud scars that dot the trunk (easily visible in the perfect rind on the perimeter of this slab) and the strong bold rays (sometimes called spike knots) that lead up to the spine scars. It's a dramatic fossil that is fascinating to study and easy on the eyes to simply gaze at.

If you're new to our shop the one thing you should expect is to see an unexpectedly glossy finish on each stone we prepare. This complete round is a wonderful example of our work. It's been cut with a diamond saw and flat lapped on equipment I built myself to produce a mirror perfect polish unmatched by any of our many would-be imitators. The detail captured and revealed through the highly polished surface is just immaculate in most wood, slightly less dramatic in this variety. It's easily some of the most interesting wood to be found anywhere and we've prepared it to be all that it can be! It's a truly special find and we won't likely have a lot more so get a piece for your collection while it's available!

This is a large slab from the center of the log and measures about 13 1/4" at the widest part across the polished face and is cut about 0.53" thick. Weight is 5.14 lbs.

A nice, unique natural wonder collectible exclusively from Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary!

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 purchased from our shop into one package to bring you the greatest possible value in fine lapidary & stone collectibles!