FJD OR 153. Grassy Mountain. Succor Creek formation; Miocene, Malheur County, OR. Rugged, surface-collected wood from Grassy Mountain with much allure and interest. The shape makes you wonder what the heck happened to this tree over the last thirty-million years. No doubt it spent the final few millennia knocking around a hot and windy desert, lending it a rugged demeanor. A beautifully patinaed hunk with one cut and polished face that offers an elaborate display of color and design. No filler or glue – the thrill of natural beauty. 13 by 3 cm mirror-polished face; 5 cm thick; one pound. $150
FJD OR 1002. McDermitt. Full round Zimmerman Ranch branch section with one natural end. Portions show excellent hardwood cell structures. Interesting stage of fossilization. Pleasant to the touch. No glue or filler. 4 by 6 cm polished face; 7 cm long; nine ounces. $50
FJD OR 1003. Vale, Oregon, rock shop. Glassy conifer limb section. The darker center is deeply translucent. Remarkably perfect throughout. One cut and two polished faces. The location of the specimen might be local or maybe not. It is consistent with wood from Washington state, although the color isn’t quite right for Washington wood I’ve seen. It is similar in color albeit not mineral structure (glassy versus opalized) to wood from Brogan, Oregon, which is relatively nearby, so who knows? Prepared by me. No glue or filler. 5.5 by 5 cm polished faces. 12.5 cm long altogether; one pound and six ounces. $75
OR. 106. Swartz Canyon. Full round conifer, cut on both ends and polished on top. An excellent example of Swartz wood, which sometimes tends toward opaque and fractures easily as you can see over to one side. Nice cell structures. 4.5 by 9 cm polished face; 4 cm thick; 12 ounces. $40
FJD OR 1004. HooDoo Basin. This piece was in my pile of about 100 rocks to be polished. I spent several hours getting it done. HooDoo wood, as with all fossil wood, comes in a range of mineralization and quality. The wood can be anywhere from agate to jasper in mineralization. It’s all silicon dioxide; the difference lies in the crystal structure. This is a top quality specimen round which is toward the jasper side of things. It’s a dream to polish as it is without fractures and is beautifully mineralized. Polished on both sides. Fascination under magnification. 12 by 5.5 cm and 34 mm thick; ten ounces. $200