Petrified tree limbs, rounds, pedestals

Petrified wood rounds and limbs and pedestals are selected for tree-like characteristics that were retained as petrification occurred.

Pieces are identified, cut, and polished to emphasize the wood grain, color, cambia, or anomalies -- such as knots -- in the original tree.

Although aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder, valuable petrified limbs and rounds are characterized by:

- Bark-like cambia layer that surrounds the petrified wood and shows interesting features

- A definable center or pith

- The suggestion of growth rings

Additional features, such as gem-filled cavities or quartz fortification further enhance some pieces.

From the Morrison Formation in Utah, this petrified wood pedestal (~3"x6") contains a variety of colors, notably interesting yellows and greens and a preserved knot.

Foreshortened view of small tree limbs (3" - 6" long) showing the same pith and growth rings seen in larger specimens.

Side view of the same limbs showing cambia articulation.

Large segmented limb (~4" x 30")

From near Holbrook, Arizona, these slabs show vivid colors produced by different minerals in the ground water that circulated through the buried tree as it petrified.

From the Chinle Formation in Utah, this black petrified wood round (~10' diameter) is especially handsome when given a high polish.

The black, mirror-like finish complements the solid bark appearance of the cambia layer.

From Nevada, this red wood is very similar to the famous Cherry Creek petrified wood known to collectors. This stone was collected from a different area and not at Cherry Creek.

However, the stone shows similar colors and the same compressed growth rings that characterize the Cherry Creek stone. A similar mineralization process must have produced both stones.

Natural Stone Art

of the American West