Description
PETRIFIED WOOD RING AND EARRINGS
This is the set of petrified wood ring and earrings. Metal – silver plated. American ring size 9. Ring and earrings dimensions: 0.8 x 0.5 x 0.1″ (2 x 1.3 x 0.3cm). Total weight – 0.6oz (16 grams). Origin: Russia, Siberia.
Some information about petrified wood:
Petrified wood is the name given to a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is the result of a tree or tree-like plants having completely transitioned to stone by the process of permineralization. All the organic materials replaced with minerals (mostly a silicate, such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the stem tissue. Unlike other types of fossils which are typically impressions or compressions, petrified wood is a three-dimensional representation of the original organic material.
The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment or volcanic ash and initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen which inhibits aerobic decomposition. Mineral-laden water flowing through the covering material deposits minerals in the plant’s cells; as the plant’s lignin and cellulose decay, a stone mold forms in its place. The organic matter needs to become petrified before it decomposes completely. The process lasts millions of years. A forest where such material has petrified becomes known as a petrified forest.
Elements such as manganese, iron, and copper in the water/mud during the petrification process give petrified wood a variety of color ranges. Pure quartz crystals are colorless, but when contaminants added to the process the crystals take on a yellow, red, or another tint.
