This beautiful wood fossil jade was once part of a tree
Red crystal
Grape jade
Different types of fossil stones at the shop
Fossil stones come in a multitude of colours and display some of their former characteristics as living organisms or plants. SUSHMA VEERA is in awe of their beauty DURING my daily drive on Jalan Maarof in Bangsar, I pass by a house-turned-retail outlet with colourful, rock-like formations placed outside.
I have never seen sculptures quite like them before.
“These are not just any stone,” says Lee Seng Siew, managing director of The Sculptures, when we met. “They were once living trees, a few million years old.” Noting my confusion, Lee continues: “The trees have undergone a long transformation and become fossil stones. The process is known as petrification, or in layman’s term, wood turned into fossil stone.” He says the term “fossil” is used to describe the remains of a prehistoric plant or animal preserved in petrified form or as a mould or cast in rock.
“Fossils are not just the remains of organisms such as teeth, bones, shells and carcasses. There are also plant and tree fossils as well as those of insects and animals.” He points out that fossil stones are normally found in areas with volcanic activity and waters rich in minerals and that fossil stones are like diamonds or rare gemstones. He says the stones can cost from RM200 to a few thousand ringgit. The most expensive at The Sculptures is the crystallised stone at RM185,000. “This stone weighs about 3,000kg and stands at 160cm. It took more than 300,000 years to transform from regular wood to this form.
“The rarer the stones, the higher their price. Their value is based on their beauty, rarity and durability.” The stones come in a multitude of colours and display some of their former characteristics as living organisms or plants. An example is petrified wood. From the contours of the sample, one can tell the origins and nature of the wood.
Petrified wood is very hard (most are crystallised from silicates and quartz) and can measure more than seven on the Mohs scale. The Mohs scale is used to classify minerals according to their hardness.
Because of its hardness, it can withstand a hard polish. Once polished, the surface is shiny and reflects the wood’s beauty from within.
“People are willing to pay more for a beauty formed by Mother Nature. A beautiful piece of nature in your home will definitely be a topic for conversation,” says Lee. He adds that the best locations for such pieces are the dining hall of a house and the front porch of an office.
Are fossil stones used for meditation? Lee says: “Some sources say fossil stones have intrinsic, latent energy. This energy is trapped within the stone, so when one sits on a slab of fossil stone, its positive energy will have a calming and harmonious effect on the person.
“Usually practitioners of meditation recommend that the stones be cleansed. The stones may contain positive and negative energies, so cleansing the stones will make sure that the negative energy is wiped off. Practitioners usually recommend using water diluted with salt or lime leaves.” There are many fossils sites in the world, most notably Alberta in Canada and North Dakota in the United States. “The Dinosaur National Park in Alberta is a perfect example. The logs in the Petrified National Forest in Arizona are actually fossilised stone,” says Lee. Petrified wood is also found in China, Indonesia and Myanmar. Lee gets his supplies from Indonesia. “The petrification process takes place on the seabed where trees are buried under layers of mud, volcanic ash and other materials. The wood’s tissue will slowly break down and be filled with agate and other minerals such as silica, changing its chemical structure.
“Over millions of years, these minerals crystallise within the wood’s cellular structure and form the stone-like material.”
Read more: Living: Gemstones of nature http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Living_Gemstonesofnature/Article/#ixzz13Q7y2Tem
I have never seen sculptures quite like them before.
“These are not just any stone,” says Lee Seng Siew, managing director of The Sculptures, when we met. “They were once living trees, a few million years old.” Noting my confusion, Lee continues: “The trees have undergone a long transformation and become fossil stones. The process is known as petrification, or in layman’s term, wood turned into fossil stone.” He says the term “fossil” is used to describe the remains of a prehistoric plant or animal preserved in petrified form or as a mould or cast in rock.
“Fossils are not just the remains of organisms such as teeth, bones, shells and carcasses. There are also plant and tree fossils as well as those of insects and animals.” He points out that fossil stones are normally found in areas with volcanic activity and waters rich in minerals and that fossil stones are like diamonds or rare gemstones. He says the stones can cost from RM200 to a few thousand ringgit. The most expensive at The Sculptures is the crystallised stone at RM185,000. “This stone weighs about 3,000kg and stands at 160cm. It took more than 300,000 years to transform from regular wood to this form.
“The rarer the stones, the higher their price. Their value is based on their beauty, rarity and durability.” The stones come in a multitude of colours and display some of their former characteristics as living organisms or plants. An example is petrified wood. From the contours of the sample, one can tell the origins and nature of the wood.
Petrified wood is very hard (most are crystallised from silicates and quartz) and can measure more than seven on the Mohs scale. The Mohs scale is used to classify minerals according to their hardness.
Because of its hardness, it can withstand a hard polish. Once polished, the surface is shiny and reflects the wood’s beauty from within.
“People are willing to pay more for a beauty formed by Mother Nature. A beautiful piece of nature in your home will definitely be a topic for conversation,” says Lee. He adds that the best locations for such pieces are the dining hall of a house and the front porch of an office.
Are fossil stones used for meditation? Lee says: “Some sources say fossil stones have intrinsic, latent energy. This energy is trapped within the stone, so when one sits on a slab of fossil stone, its positive energy will have a calming and harmonious effect on the person.
“Usually practitioners of meditation recommend that the stones be cleansed. The stones may contain positive and negative energies, so cleansing the stones will make sure that the negative energy is wiped off. Practitioners usually recommend using water diluted with salt or lime leaves.” There are many fossils sites in the world, most notably Alberta in Canada and North Dakota in the United States. “The Dinosaur National Park in Alberta is a perfect example. The logs in the Petrified National Forest in Arizona are actually fossilised stone,” says Lee. Petrified wood is also found in China, Indonesia and Myanmar. Lee gets his supplies from Indonesia. “The petrification process takes place on the seabed where trees are buried under layers of mud, volcanic ash and other materials. The wood’s tissue will slowly break down and be filled with agate and other minerals such as silica, changing its chemical structure.
“Over millions of years, these minerals crystallise within the wood’s cellular structure and form the stone-like material.”
Read more: Living: Gemstones of nature http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Living_Gemstonesofnature/Article/#ixzz13Q7y2Tem
