Before you ask
Questions we get a lot
If yours is not here, ask — we would rather answer it once properly than have you guess.
Is this really petrified wood, or is it just agate?
It is petrified wood, and it is also agate — those are not exclusive. The material is silica (chalcedony and microcrystalline quartz) that crystallized inside a buried tree and took on its structure. When the grain, rings or cell texture are visible, it is petrified wood. When silica later refilled a crack in that same piece, the fill is plain agate.
How old is it?
The wood in this area comes out of the Dawson Arkose, deposited at the very end of the Cretaceous and into the early Paleocene — roughly 68 to 64 million years ago. So the tree was alive at about the time the non-avian dinosaurs were not much longer for this world.
Where exactly do you collect?
On private land around Parker with the landowner's permission, and on public ground only where surface collection of common plant fossils is expressly permitted and within posted limits. We are deliberately vague in public about specific spots — partly out of respect for landowners, partly because publishing a location is the fastest way to strip it.
Is the wood dyed or treated?
No. No dye, no resin stabilizer, no heat treatment, no coating other than the wax on raw brass findings. Every color you see is iron, manganese or another trace metal that arrived in the groundwater 60-odd million years ago.
Will the piece I receive look like the picture?
For one-of-a-kind jewelry, yes — that photograph is the piece you get. For tumbled stones sold in multiples, the photograph is representative: we pick the best of the current batch, and grain and color vary. If you want to approve the exact stone first, ask and we will send photos.
How durable is it for everyday wear?
Very. Quartz is about 7 on the Mohs scale, harder than window glass and hard enough that ordinary dust will not scratch it. It is brittle rather than tough, though, so a sharp impact on a hard surface can chip an edge. See the care page for the short list of things to avoid.
Can you make something from a stone I found?
Usually. Send a photo with a coin or ruler for scale and tell us roughly where it came from. We will tell you honestly whether it is solid enough to cut — some material is too fractured or too porous, and it is better to know that before we saw into it.
Do you do wholesale or consignment?
In small quantities, for shops in Colorado. Because everything is hand-collected we cannot promise volume or repeatable colorways, so it works best for galleries and museum shops rather than chains. Get in touch and we will talk.
How do I actually pay?
Listings link straight to a secure checkout where one is set up. Where it is not, the button opens an email — we reply with a payment link and a photo of the exact stone, and nothing is charged until you have seen it. We never ask for card details over email.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes, at cost, though customs charges are the buyer's responsibility and we cannot predict them. Message us with your country before ordering and we will quote the postage.