8.8" Tall, Colorful Petrified Wood Bookends - Madagascar

Tall, Colorful Petrified Wood Bookends - Madagascar #274839

This is a pair of bookends made from richly colored, 220-million-year-old petrified wood (Araucaria), imported from Madagascar. The polishing has been done locally by an expert polisher: the superior work has given them brilliant shine with no dull spots, revealing the rich interior reds, browns, and oranges. The sides have been lined with felt.

These bookends roughly measure 8.8 x 6.5 x 1.75".

What Is Petrified Wood

Petrified wood is the name given to wood that has been turned into stone (fossilized) through the process of permineralization. In this process, all of the organic matter becomes replaced by minerals, while much of the original structure, such as tree rings, is retained. For this to happen, the wood needs to be buried in an environment low in oxygen to prevent decomposition and with flowing, mineral-laden water, so minerals may replace structures. The coloration is caused by various minerals that present in that water during fossilization. For example, red colors are due to iron compounds, greens due to copper, and so on.