We have been back into our rock stash digging out some of the more unusual and loved stones that we hadn't had a chance to work on in a while and this beautiful set of Marston Jasper bookends is the latest treasure to emerge from those efforts! This is a colorful jasper that is thought to be formed as a fossil bog, though I've never confirmed it. The color in the stone is dominated by a deep burgendy red with rich dark greens and also features a lot of agate veins woven through porous cavities in the stone. Both the display face and outer edge are cut and polished to a mirror finish in our shop. This set could be displayed and used in either of the two orientations shown in the first two photos. Both arrangements are gorgeous and it changes the butterfly wing visual in interesting ways. Both the book and shelf contact side are felted to protect your furniture and books.
One of the most colorful jasper deposits in the world is located on the Marston Ranch just outside of Ashwood Oregon. We've collected some exceptional "Marston wood" from this mine over the last few years and I'm finally getting some specimens prepared. This is one of my favorite materials to use in bookends as it is so richly colored and every set is completely different from the last. There is some debate as to whether this deposit is a wood replacement or not. Some rockhounds claim it's actually a petrified bog. The jasper leaves enough clues behind to fuel the mystery, but not settle it. What isn't debated is that it's one of the most richly colored gem grade jasper deposits anywhere on the planet. Rock & Gem magazine featured an extensive write-up on the location and the stone it produced earlier this year. The colors cover the rainbow, but are dominated by red, yellow and green. Sometimes it has drusy crystal pockets, sometimes you'll find pastel mint tones or even purple. The bookends show the stone from two angles as the thick top edge is also cut and polished to reveal the incredible play of color all the way through the stone!
We select only the largest and showiest pieces of petrified wood to cut into bookends. These pieces are carefully cut in our shop so that you end up with a perfectly matched pair, one agate piece is the mirror image of the other. Of course, there are plenty of differences in the two halves, but the photo should let you appreciate how well we do this. The bookends sit perfectly upright and are completely square to one another. They are felted on both the sides and bottom to protect the books and the shelf. We make sure they are 100% functional on top of being beautiful! Of course, these agates proudly show the perfect polish that the Sticks-in-Stones rockshop has dedicated itself to. The finish looks poured on - but there's nothing there except rock!!
Each half measures 6" tall & 6 1/4" wide at the base on the polished face. They're cut about 1 3/4" thick. Weight for this set is about 9.40 lbs. which makes these bookends suitable for smaller size books, pamphlets, paperbacks, mail, etc. What better way to accentuate a bookshelf or your mantle than with this unbelievable natural work of art! Good luck!
Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary is happily providing UPS & USPS shipping to greatly reduce shipping charges on large rock orders. We will combine auction items or provide additional items from our shop to bring you the greatest possible value in fine Lapidary & stone collectibles!