Our featured specimen

​Primitive Conifer (Araucarioxylon arizonicum)
Chinle Formation, Triassic
Patton Ranch, near Holbrook, Arizona
** Stunner from the Patton Ranch.  The burnt orange, golden yellows, and azure blues in the piece really set it apart -- as does this superb polish and thick cut.  Obviously from an old collection when gorgeous wood was cut to 3/4" thickness, rather than the 3/8" that is so common today.  Jim and I always feel as though we have "enough" Arizona wood, that is until we come across a piece like this.  Manageable in size -- and therefore shipping cost (!) -- this piece measures 8.5" x 6" on its polished face.  

We strive to not "overdo" the colors in our photographs, so that you can be confident that what you see is what you get.

The Patton Ranch which is located immediately adjacent to the west boundary of the Petrified Forest National Park.  Consequently, it has exactly the same mineralization as the deposits in the park that are called “Rainbow Forest beds,” an apt name for wood this colorful.  Rich yellows and reds and oranges predominate but the black, purple and white accents make the whole thing truly a rainbow of color. 

Let this beauty bring some brightness to your home!
8.5" x 6" on polished face; 3/4” thick slab $225
(immediately qualifies for our 10% discount on order totaling $200 or more.)

​Wood with pocket rot  (Alangium sp.)
Whitsett Formation, Late Eocene to Early Oligocene
Lake Livingston, Trinity County, Texas
**  One doesn't need a microscope -- though it would add proof (!) of of just how beautiful this wood structure is!   This is a gorgeous slab. 

This genus does not have a common name in English of which we are aware.  During Whitsett time in Texas the semi-tropical climate produced many genera that are now restricted to latitudes much farther south.  Alangium is often not represented in the collections of even the most advanced petrified wood collectors.  We have been lucky enough in the past to have a few of this genus in our inventory, but this is the first time we have seen wood of this genus with such a significant amount of beautifully aesthetic pocket rot.  This specimen has some really excellent preservation of woody fine structure!  It is possible that our Texas friends have some of this material out of the Whitsett Formation, so we are happy we can share in it with those of us who don't ...  This will be a smart addition to the collection of an avid petrified wood species and/or locality collector.
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7" x 6" on polished face, 3/8” thick slab   $195  (and we will throw in the 10% discount, which we normally reserve for orders exceeding $200) 

Conifer (Pinales Order)
Tertiary
Austin, Oregon
** Unique locality specimens of conifer!  The general locality is  "Austin, Oregon."  Since we were unable to pinpoint the exact location where this log was excavated, we can't assign more than a general age of Tertiary to it.  But we are confident in the provenance of Austin.  The vicinity of Austin has some quite complex Tertiary geology.  There are Eocene outcrops of the Clarno Formation and Miocene outcrops of river deposited volcanic sediments which lasted into the early Pliocene.  Since we have never seen any other wood from Austin and the literature is silent on fossil wood from the area, we can safely assume that it was likely only a single log or two that could be found, and whatever was there was totally harvested.  This material came out of an old collection and we don't expect to see any more of it in the future.  So, we will simply settle for the beauty of the piece, with its color and pattern being particularly stunning.

​There are two choices of this great specimen
Specimen 1 above -- a wonderfully brecciated partial round with pathways of white and clear chalcedony that accentuate the darker decaying bits of wood. 
8" x 7.5" on brecciated wood polished face; 7/16" thick slab  $300

Specimen 2 above -- a full round with a swirling two-tone pattern.  
​6.5" x 6" with two-tone polished face; 7/16" thick slab  $275

Choose one or both - you may likely never see another chance to score a specimen from this unique locality.  (Each specimen qualifies for our 10% discount on orders totaling $200 or more.)

​Pine with pocket rot (Pinus sp.)
Little Butte Formation, Mehama Volcanics unit, Oligocene
McQueen Ranch, Sweet Home area, Linn County, Oregon
**  The McQueen Ranch has not produced petrified wood for quite a long time, but a recent logging operation and the attendant soil disruption has produced some really nice specimens and we think we got some of the best!  If you have been following our website during the past year you have already seen what interesting and beautiful specimens that the logging operation uncovered.  The lapidary that obtained nearly all of the logs and limbs continues to produce really neat pieces like this one, which is different!  The McQueen ranch is directly across the road from the famed Holleywood Ranch which has consistently produced enormous amounts of petrified wood, but the two neighboring sites could not be more different in mineralization.  As a matter of fact, the mineralization diversity at the McQueen site is simply remarkable. 
​This specimen is the core of an ancient pine tree which was attacked by pocket rot fungus producing the polka dot pattern.  There is enough well preserved structure on the surviving portion of the growth outside of the core to determine that it was a pine (see our photomicrograph to the right).  When the logging operation is complete and the trees begin to regrow, there won't be any more petrified wood discovered for a considerable period of time.  So, if you like the striking patterns produced by this lovely material we suggest you acquire a specimen for your own collection before it is all gone - we did!
5" x 6" on polished face; end cut varying from 3.5" to 5"  $130

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Conifer wood in Stromatolitic Algae
"Tonopah Wood"
Miocene
Tonopah, Nevada
** An exceptional example of “Tonopah Wood” with incredible patterning and our favorite combination of color for the algae in "Tonopah Wood" - salmon pink and bronze. Old-timer rockhounds called these attractive specimens by that name. The wood was under water and encased in stromatolitic algae prior to the volcanic event that filled the water body with ash and began the petrification process.  The mineralization of the algae in this specimen has the very desirable reddish orange and bronze coloration.  The wood itself was the center of the polished face.  Much of it has been macerated and no longer can be recognized as wood.  However, the dark brown region does still retain hints of the characteristics we look for in petrified wood.  Like all of the specimens we have ever seen from this locality, there is enough tracheid remnant to determine that it was a conifer.  Maceration makes sense because the wood must have been under water for a long time for the large colonies of stromatolitic algae to grow.  As a result, the specimens from Tonopah are generally valued more for their aesthetic appeal than for their wood anatomy.  If you are also an algae enthusiast, the differentiation of mineralization (color) and form (some wide bands and some very narrow) make this an even more interesting specimen.  The implication of these differences is that there were some substantial changes in the water chemistry and habitat during the growth of the algae over time.  Most of the Tonopah Wood is pretty; this is exceptionally so.  
5.5" x 3.5" on polished face; 3/4" thick slab   $65

Primitive Conifer (Araucarioxylon arizonicum)
Chinle Formation, Triassic
Twenty-Two Draw,  Arizona
** Great things about this piece?  Well to start, there is the lively name of the locality -- Twenty-Two Draw.  Old west throwback!  And then there is obviously the pink to orange to salmon color -- contrary to popular belief, not all Arizona wood from the Chinle looks like this.  Another impressive feature? An impressive slash of agate decorating the center.  This piece also has its manageable size as an asset as well – 5" diameter on the polished face -- and therefore easy to perch on a stand or shelf.  The Twenty-Two draw area has produced really notable pink- and salmon-hued petrified wood in the mid 20th century with great patterns in white and gray, but it surely is commonplace on the market.  We were delighted to be able to acquire this gorgeous slab with excellent polish. You will not be disappointed by this color!  We work diligently to ensure that our colors are represented fairly in our photographs, and this one will not disappoint.  
5” diameter on  polished face; 5/16” thick slab   $62

Ancient Redwood  (Sequoia sp.)
Columbia Plateau Basalts Group
Miocene
Saddle Mountain, Washington
**  An exceptional piece from Saddle Mountain with clear and crisp aesthetic growth rings and a really lavender pink eye-catching presence!  This incredible display-quality specimen is further enhanced by the cavity which emanates from the center.  This cavity is filled with bubbly white chalcedony over its entire surface.  There are similar bubbles of chalcedony dripping off of the exterior rind of this slab as well!  A truly outstanding piece.  Got some Saddle Mountain wood in your collection?  Here’s an opportunity to add an extraordinary piece!
10.5” x 5.5” on polished face; 1/2” thick slab   $225

Oak (Quercus sp.)
Columbia Plateau Basalts Group, Miocene
Deschutes Canyon, Oregon
**  A VERY nice slab of oak from this legendary locality.  The site was on top of the canyon walls about four miles upstream of the confluence of the Deschutes River and the Columbia River.  In recent years, the ranchers who own the land on the sides of the canyon walls have closed their property to collecting.  As a consequence, this especially nice material has now become much more difficult to obtain so we were pleased to find this one at one of the Oregon shows.  This specimen has the nice characteristics that make Deschutes Canyon material desirable -- excellent eye appeal, nice sharp definition of medullary rays, great pattern enhanced by the rot pocket in the upper center.  This one is destined for inclusion in someones display case!  Click photo for a closer view ... and then don't let this one get away!
6.5" x 5.5" on polished face; 3/8" thick slab    $149