Description

Indonesian Opalized Petrified Oval Wood Cabochon weighing 22.5 ct and measuring 43:19:6mm. These are extremely rare and made from the most valuable part of the wood. The part that has become opalised in glorious colours.

Petrified Wood with Blue Opal and Native Copper

Petrified Wood with Blue Opal was first found as pebbles and larger rounded stones (“cobbles”) in streams and near the slopes of three volcanoes in Indonesia’s West Java Province. The source deposit was finally located on the steep slopes of Mt. Tjikolak in 2018. What the miners actually found was an ancient petrified forest, which had been pushed over by the deluge of pyroclastic flow from a volcanic explosion. Then, over the ages, the wood was fossilized and preserved by opaline silica.

How Does Petrified Wood with Blue Opal Form?

Now this is where it gets really interesting! Once the tree’s organic material (the wood) actually decomposed, which took thousands of years, it was replaced with opaline silica. The water in that silica was very rich in dissolved copper, iron, and manganese. Those copper and manganese deposits are now found inside this blue opal!

The opalized brownish color on the outside of the stones is obviously petrified wood, but magic is inside . . .. the lush, rich blue is feathered with manganese and native copper dendrites, some which look like snowflakes or feathers.

Category: Cabochons - Individually Photographed for Sale

Tags: beautiful_holistic, Blue_Cabachon, deep_colour, Ethically_sourced, fine_quality_quality, handmade_natural, Jewellery_making, rare_crystal, Wire_wrapping