PETRIFIED WOOD CABOCHON MOUNTED

Description

Petrified wood is the name given to a special type of fossilized wood, the fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. Petrifaction is the result of a tree or tree-like plants having been replaced by stone via a mineralization process that often includes permineralization and replacement.  The organic materials making up cell walls have been replicated with minerals (mostly silica in the form of opal, chalcedony, or quartz. In some instances, the original structure of the stem tissue may be partially retained. Unlike other plant fossils, which are typically impressions or compressions, petrified wood is a three-dimensional representation of the original organic material.Fossilized palm wood, also known as Palmoxylon, is an extinct genus of palm found around the world. The plants lived from the Late Cretaceous (83 million years ago) until the Early Miocene (34 million years ago). The spotted look of palmwood is caused by fossilized rod-like structures within the original wood. Depending upon the angle the stone is cut, they show up at spots, tapering rods, or lines. The fossilization process involves the replacement of organic wood cells by silicate minerals over time.