**First Time At Auction**

North America, Wyoming, Eocene period, ca. 56 to 33 Million years ago; Western Europe, Spain, probably Victoria Mine, ca. Millions of years old. An astonishing collection of 2 fossils and 1 mineral that have developed striking shapes and colors over the millennia due to chemistry and natural forces! The largest is a piece of petrified wood encased in a pale blue and white chalcedony! The wood is cut and polished at one end to reveal the inner black fossilization and rings of wood. The outer chalcedony is a textured, bumpy surface and contrasts beautifully with the darker, smooth interior. The smaller piece of petrified wood is also polished at both ends and has a cleft along the side from the wood splitting under pressure. The chalcedony has infiltrated some cracks within the wood to create blue striations on both ends, and some of the outer chalcedony has been cut away to reveal the exterior of the fossilized wood. The mineral matrix consists of two pyrite crystals which form perfect cubes. If unfamiliar with pyrite, one might assume these are human cut and placed, but they are all natural! Pyrite is famous for its beautiful shine and near-perfect cubic formations, giving it a modernist sculptural appearance. These cubes are polished and have brilliant luster. Size of largest petrified wood: 6" L x 3" W (15.2 cm x 7.6 cm); pyrite matrix: 5" L x 3.5" W x 3.5" H (12.7 cm x 8.9 cm x 8.9 cm)

The petrification process involves the rapid burial of trees under sediment which prevents the usual decay. During the early Eocene period a subtropical forest grew along the shores of ancient Lake Gosiute in what is modern day Sweetwater County Wyoming. Rising water levels covered the forests, causing trees and fallen branches to become growth sites for algae which encased the wood. Under silt and sediment, the wood slowly fossilized, and the mineralized water permeated through the wood, coating cell walls and filling the intercellular cavities which then fossilizes into stone. The detailed preservation of the wood, including knots, rings, and bark, are possible because the organic wood molecules become coated and surrounded with smaller silica molecules.

Provenance: ex-Stein collection, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA, acquired prior to 2010

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#163922

The pyrite cubes are reattached to the matrix and stabilized at their base. Pyrite is polished with some scratches, abrasions, and cut marks on their faces, and matrix has some stable fissures as expected from process. Both petrified wood pieces are cut. Larger wood is polished on one end with the other showing cut marks and abrasions. Chips and losses to chalcedony on polished end. Smaller wood has inventory number on surface and chalcedony has been cut on exterior to show surface texture.