This is a classic color variety I haven't seen come out of Arizona recently but was found as part of an old stock collection of rough material we've been cutting this year! These dark black and orange dominated colors with splashes of the namesake rainbow patterns are the color habits that you'd see offered routinely decades ago but the source dried up years ago and the ranch that produced this log is no longer mining. While there are still active dig sites for Arizona petrified wood in the Holbrook area, none of them seem to be producing these truly hypnotic looking logs. The cell structure is amazingly well preserved for this region and obviously so are the growth rings. The log is very nicely agatized and took a magnificent polish as only the best grades of petrified wood can. This one really is a treat for your eyes, and the slab is polished beautifully. This color pattern is not one to be missed - it's absolutely stunning! This piece came out of an estate collection in Kansas and I've refinished the polished face to meet our exacting standards. The back of the slab has an epoxy coating to strengthen and stabilize it.
I don't often get truly gem grade examples of petrified wood but sometimes an estate will turn up some old stock treasure that we haven't seen in a while, as was the case with this fine specimen. The cell structure of most of these super old conifer trees are very difficult to separate just in cross section no matter how well defined they are and this one is no exception. My other listings detail some of the antics that have gone on with the scientific community in naming these conifers but for most of us, these specimens are collected at least as much for their intrinsic beauty as they are for fossil value. This piece represents a beautiful work of art that nature has spent 200 million years producing!
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. It's easily some of the best petrified wood to be found anywhere! The rings are gorgeous, the agate is highly polished and the detail is easier to see in person than the photo suggests. 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 slab from the center of the log and measures about 12" x 10" across the polished face and is cut approx 3/4" thick. Weight is about 6 lbs.
A nice, unique natural wonder collectible exclusively from Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary!
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