ALL ABOUT PETRIFIED WOOD

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ALL ABOUT PETRIFIED WOOD

Petrified wood is fossilized plants or trees, millions of years old, where the wood completely transformed into stone while maintaining its original structure. You can often see preserved details of the bark, wood, and cellular structures like tree rings. The age of petrified wood range from about 5 - 25 million years old for the samples found in Indonesia. Most of the Indonesian samples are about 20 million years old, deriving from the Miocene era. The petrified wood found in the US is up to 215 million years old. Petrified wood is considered a gemstone, in fact it’s the state gem of Washington, USA. It is also the zodiac gemstone of all signs.

HOW PETRIFIED WOOD WAS CREATED

It was formed millions of years ago when prehistoric trees were buried by sediment and protected in an environment low on oxygen. Through time water rich in minerals passed through the sediment, replacing the original plant with silica, calcite, pyrite and other materials like opal in an incredibly slow process called permineralization. This process lasts for millions of years, during which the organic remains are replaced by minerals and then replaced with stone.

WHERE IT COMES FROM

Petrified wood is mined like a stone in immense underground forests, some of the most famous ones are located in Greece and Arizona. Petrified wood can be found all over the world in many locations including Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Washington and Madagascar, Egypt, Bolivia, Canada, Indonesia. The best quality pieces are found in Indonesia, USA, Madagascar and Brazil. The petrified wood from Indonesia consists almost exclusively of the species Dipterocarpus, which is a teak wood that actually still exists in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. Petrified Palm trees are also found. The trees from Arizona and Madagascar are Araucaria, However there are also other petrified trees available.

THE COLOR RANGE

Petrified wood from different areas of the world look different. This depends on the look of the original trees, the age of the wood and the surrounding materials. The Indonesian petrified wood is neutral in colours ranging from off whites to greys, browns and blacks while the colours of the American petrified wood go towards reds, blues and greens. Copper, Cobalt and Chromium creates the greens and blues, Manganese the pinks, Iron Oxides the reds, browns and yellows, Carbon and Manganese Oxides the blacks while Silica the whites and greys. Trees that have been standing close to a river are usually lighter in colour than trees deriving from a dry environment.

HOW IT IS USED

The most popular way of using petrified wood is preserving the organic shapes, like sections of the stems and stools cut out of stumps. The largest dimensions are around 3 meters. It’s cut with large grinders and saws, then shaped and polished - a difficult and very time consuming process. When polished the incredible colours surface. Popular accessories are bookends, bowls, trays, trivets, decorative balls and small sculptures. It doesn’t lend itself to intricate carving since it’s brittle.

WHY YOU SHOULD GET PETRIFIED WOOD ACCESSORIES

The reasons are many. The rarity, age, strength, durability, environmentally friendly sourcing and resistance to climate change are all factors making accessories in this extraordinary material irresistible and so highly sought after. Each piece is unique in color, motif and shape, giving you the chance to own exclusive objects that are one of a kind, with a timeless, natural beauty.

PETRIFIED WOOD IS BELIEVED TO

  • Help you become the person you wish to be
  • Help you achieve your financial dreams and goals
  • Bring business success and good luck
  • Help you find the answers you seek
  • Reinforce the love in your relationship
  • Help you live a long life
  • Help to support all types of physical healing
  • Strengthen the heart
  • Help to find balance through difficult times

HOW TO CLEAN AND CARE FOR YOUR PETRIFIED WOOD 

With its strength, durability and beauty it’s guaranteed you will love it and be very satisfied!! Here below are a few easy ways to keep it clean and beautiful.
 
  • The first and most important thing to know is that chemicals will ruin your petrified wood so don’t ever use them.
  • When the wood is just slightly dirty and you clean it on a regular basis use only warm water making sure it’s not hot - and gently rub the surface with a soft piece of microfiber or smooth cotton. Any other materials with higher abrasiveness might ruin the petrified wood. Avoid brushes or anything with a harsh surface.
  • The less products you use the better it is.
  • If just water doesn’t do the trick use a natural, ph neutral cleaner like a gentle hand wash or apple cider vinegar which effectively will remove stains.
  • For any cleaner you intend to use try it in a corner or a small area first to make sure it doesn’t ruin the surface.
  • Oil, wine and coffee have a tendency to penetrate the wood and leave stains that are difficult to remove so make sure you wipe it off right away.
  • Strong and frequent sunlight tends to fade the black colour of the wood with time making the darker pieces more suitable for the indoors
  • The light petrified wood will keep its colour indoors and outdoors