ARGENTINA
87 pieces
All specimens are remarkably perfect. Patagonia, Argentina. Cerro Cuadrado, Jurassic wood of the genus Araucaria, unless otherwise noted.
- Killer Red. Full round log. Cut and polished on one end, otherwise as found. 10.5 cm tall; 12.5 by 10 cm polished face; five pounds and eleven ounces. Petrified Wood, page 39.
2. Slice off Killer Red
3. Ivory Queen. Full round log. Cut and polished on one end, otherwise as found. Natural wind polish. 11 cm tall; 75 by 75 mm polished face; three pounds and thirteen ounces.
4. Deep Golden. I remember clearly the day I first saw this one. I could not believe that there could be such a perfectly preserved and beautiful piece of petrified wood – after years are ardently searching the wilds of Colorado and Utah for elusive fossil woods, I had never seen anything comparable. This was when the wood from Argentina first hit the US market in the early 90s. It is hard to say what strikes you first – the unbelievably realistic looking bark (which is actually petrified bark – very rare) or the glassy deep golden treasure of the interior. 9 cm tall; polished face is 9.5 by 10 cm; weight is three pounds and four ounces. Full round cut on both ends and polished on the top – the bottom is unpolished. Gem quality mineral. Petrified Wood on pages 34 and 38.
5. Golden Tan. I could repeat the previous description. I bought this one at the same time. Amazing. Full round log with embedded branch and some cambium. Cut and polished on one end, otherwise as found. Petrified Wood on pages 40 and 42. 5 cm tall; 95 by 9 5 mm polished face; one pound and eleven ounces.
6. Wind polished log. Cretaceous; Rio Negro; Patagonia. Perfectly solid with a pleasingly smooth wind-polished exterior. The face is flawless. All natural except the one polished end. 7 by six cm polished face; 31.5 cm long; eight pounds and eight ounces.
7. Agate and amethyst log. Chubut: Mesozoic. (Note: Chubut wood has been described as being Cretaceous but may be Jurassic.) This great log has a story to tell. It’s phenomenally well-preserved, yet obviously has been through substantial turmoil. The glassy and colorful interior seems to have been warding off erosion for millions of years yet is still in command of its beauty. Many agate inclusions and a vug lined with tiny amethyst crystals adorn the perfect polished face. Featured in Ancient Forests on pages 142 and 151. 13 by 10 cm polished face; 13 cm tall; seven pounds and two ounces.
8. The Explosion. Chubut; Mesozoic. Another example of Mesozoic perfection. Full round log with a pleasing natural end, a rugged and attractive exterior, and a stunningly artistic polished face with a colorful explosion at the center, framed within golden tan. Featured in Ancient Forests on pages 142 and 151. 14 by 11 cm polished face; 6 cm tall; four pounds and four ounces.