9. Stormy Cruciform Dawn. If I told you how I really feel about this one, you wouldn’t believe me. Okay. I’ll tell you. Not only is it the most awesome piece of petrified wood I have seen, it’s the most astounding object of any kind I have ever held in my hand, and it is priceless. A tree growing 150 million years ago became an amazing gem, as hard as an amethyst, yet a fossil. Stormy cruciform dawn. Full round branch section, cut on both ends and polished on one. Beautiful patina from long exposure to the elements. Solid gem silicon dioxide as colored by a myriad of minerals and centered with a dark cruciform image, growing from the side up and into the limb, backed with a yellow and pink sky with bolts of energy. The cross runs all the way to the base. Bits of cellular material here and there and well-defined cell ladders at the perimeter. I cut one slice from the top and prepared it to be set in gold as a necklace but never did, so here it is. 9 cm tall; 56 by 63 mm polished face; one pound and four ounces. Petrified Wood on page 39. $8,000
10. Stormy Cruciform Dawn’s Sister. I cut one slice from the top and prepared it to be set in gold as a necklace, included.
ARG 11. Six-inch Slice. Full round slice – like fine porcelain. 14 by 16 cm polished face; 10 mm thick; fifteen ounces. SOLD
12. Full round limb section. Cut and polished on both ends. Nice to work with since it’s so perfect. Beautiful material. Remarkable preservation. 6.5 cm long; 6 by 5 cm polished faces; fourteen ounces. $1,000
ARG 13.. Rare Red Cycad. Cretaceous cycadeoid with cones. Prime specimen for the type. Thick, solid slice of the diamond patterned armor of a cycadeoid. One side is the natural wind-polished side with a tight pattern of diamond frond bases. Complete specimen round with no cut edges – only one large flat cut which is polished. Tight diamonds with nice cell preservation, including parts of two cones. Color combination of deep salmon and silver-gray. Note large cone with the red eye in the silver-gray pattern of cone cells. Superior preservation. A closeup appears in Petrified Wood on page 31. One pound and six ounces – up to 33 mm thick with a polished face measuring 11.5 by 9 cm. $1,800
ARG 14. Unicorn Horn. Cretaceous; Allen Formation; Rio Negro Province; Patagonia. Just as found on the surface in the 1990s. It’s wind-polished-smooth all around. I have no idea what it is. I’ve been tempted to cut it, but afraid to ruin a rare fossil and it’s so alluring as is. I am not convinced it’s of plant origin. The exterior reminds me of a hair under a microscope. But it also looks somewhat like a small palm tree, and the same formation produces fossil palm dates. 51 by 47 mm on thicker end; 121 mm long; fourteen ounces. Dense and hard. $800
15. Twenty-five cm wide slice. Patagonia; Mesozoic. Mellow combination of lovely tans with blue chalcedony inclusions. 25 by 19 cm polished face; 2 cm thick; two pounds and two ounces. $1,200
16. Agatized slice. Rio Negro; Mesozoic. This thick slice includes a beautiful agate. Featured in Ancient Forests on page 146. 17 by 14 cm polished face; 2 cm thick; two pounds and two ounces. SOLD
17. Party Time. Full round slice from Rio Negro; Mesozoic. Unusual and attractive agate inclusions. It was as if a portion of the log objected to merely preserving cell structures and decided to have a party. 14 by 17 cm polished face; 12 mm thick; one pound and five ounces. SOLD
18. Full round slice from Chubut; Mesozoic. Perfectly solid with many agate inclusions. 13 by 16 cm polished face; 13 mm thick; one pound and four ounces. SOLD