This is one of the largest and perfect examples of the Tempskya ferns that we've ever finished! It's a very solid and virtually flawless cross section slab of one of the more unusual fossil gemstones we work with here at Sticks in Stones. This is one of the cleanest, prettiest and best preserved gem grade Tempskya fern fossils we've cut in the shop in ages! This is a rare and highly prized fossil treasure found near the mining dumps of the Sumpter gold rush in the Elkhorn Mountains of NE Oregon. It looks like petrified wood, but it's not actually wood in a technical sense. It comes from a Tempskya fern which is a type of Tree Fern. I've actually seen very little in print about this rare material, but it is featured in Dernbach's Petrified Forests book (and this specimen rivals the one in his famous and beautiful text!). I've rarely been able to offer one of these specimens for sale on eBay and I doubt that my small supply will last long so don't let this exquisite complete round get away! The structure under magnification is very finely detailed and is comparable to the finely preserved structure of the best of the Brazilian tree ferns with the full honeycomb of the individual petioles easily seen under magnification (my microphoto is slightly out of focus and doesn't do it justice). It will surely be a unique addition to any high end petrified wood and fossil collection.
This wood is highly agatized and preserved in a rich orange/yellow color unlike any other wood variety I've ever seen. It takes an excellent polish which brings out the fine root features and cell details in these uniformly colored specimens. If you look at it under a loupe you will absolutely flip - the detail is simply incredible (again rivaling the specimens in Dernbach's book). I'm also confident that when you see it in person you'll have an immediate appreciation for the liquid polish we strive to bring out of every stone we prepare in our shop!
This piece is cut as a full "round" slab for displaying, which means it's a cross section of the trunk. The pieces are quite solid and meant to be handled. A quick squirt of windex will remove fingerprints from the glassy polished surface.
This lovely, exotic fossil treasure is ground, sanded and polished on a series of special laps we built to bring you the highest quality lapidary finish available on the market. The Sticks-in-Stones polish is something our customers have come to appreciate and seek out. We guarantee you'll be impressed too!
This piece measures 8 1/8" x 6 1/2" across the polished face. It's cut about 0.45" thick. Weight is about 1.64 lbs.
Another Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary quality stone collectible!