7.1" Polished Tiger Iron "Stromatolite" Bookends - 3.02 Billion Years

This is a gorgeous pair of bookends made from 3.02 billion year old Stromatolite collected from the Ord Ranges in Western Australia. Commonly referred to as Tiger Iron, it is a banded structure of Tigers Eye, Red Jasper, and Hematite. One theory is that tiger iron is a typical stromatolite that has undergone mineral replacement with iron oxide. Another is that the microbes formed the banded iron directly while the stromatolite was being formed. Either way it's gorgeous to look at and even more impressive when you consider that it's evidence of life on earth several billion years ago.

Each end varies slightly in size, with one measuring 7.1" tall, 5.5" wide and 1.7" thick while the other is 6.2" tall, 5.8" wide and 1.7" thick. Together these bookends weigh just under 12 lbs.