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.
10. Stormy Cruciform Dawn’s Sister. I cut one slice from the top and prepared it to be set in gold as a necklace.
11. Six-inch Slice. Full round slice – like fine porcelain. 14 by 16 cm polished face; 10 mm thick; fifteen ounces.
12. Thick Slice. Thick, full round, probably dug out wood (often not as well silicified at edges). Glassy center. 68 by 82 mm polished face; 22 mm thick; eight ounces.
13. Thin Slice. Thin full round slice. Same log as Petrified Wood, pages 39 and 40. 69 by 77 mm polished face; 4 mm thick; 1.5 ounces.
14. Eleven cm wide slice. Jurassic; Cerro Quadrado. 11 by 10 cm polished face; one cm thick; seven ounces.
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.
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.
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.
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.