NOTE: The second photo is a close-up of the pith from a different slab out of this log. It is provided as the clearest image of the unique pith that I obtained from any of the slabs in this log and is intended to aid in identification of this very unique specimen. At first I thought it was just the color that was unique, but then I started paying closer attention to what appeared to be rays and finally examined this piece under magnification to confirm a growing suspicion… This is a Woodworthia specimen! This relatively uncommon Madagascar fossil is a beautiful BRICK RED round cut from the center of a choice petrified wood log! But as I cut further, the mystery deepened as a very clearly articulated star shaped pith emerged. I’m not a paleobotanist and don’t pretend to be, but my limited reference materials suggest this is a distinguishing characteristic of the Dadoxylon trunks. Final identification will be left for the new owner to puzzle over, but it’s a well preserved, beautiful, unique and fascinating specimen that we’ve prepared properly in our lapidary shop to aid in that task! I’ve cut dozens of petrified logs from this site but this is the only one I’ve seen that was ever preserved in this unique brick colored shade of red and it is the only full round of Woodworthia I’ve seen from this site that even approaches this size! I’ve cut one incomplete log that was even larger, so I know big ones grew there, but this is by far the best and most unique I have seen! While you may have seen the bland, lifeless specimens from this remote island nation with low grade import polishing work, you haven’t really seen what the other side of the world can produce until you’ve seen one of the specimens we’ve prepared in our shop with a mirror finish unmatched by any petrified wood you’ve ever held! Color like this is hard to find and when finished properly provides one of the most beautiful natural displays you’ve ever laid eyes on!! You can even make out some of the reflections in the mirror polished face if you look closely at the photo. I travelled to Madagascar a few years ago to select some choice petrified logs that I have been cutting ever since. The quality of the material I was able to obtain was incredible, but while I recognized that this log had a unique color, I should have been paying closer attention to the pattern of scars on the trunk! They aren’t nearly as pronounced as the more prolific Zimbabwe Woodworthia specimens are and the structure, while clear enough for identification, is not as crisp as their distant neighbors either. But the color and size are unique and the log is preserved with fine growth structure in a readily polished agate that produced a gorgeous collector piece. Since I’m the one that ground and polished it, I was able to apply some of the craftsmanship I’ve learned over the years to avoid problems with flaked out fracture lines that are common in the imported specimens. I’ve also polished it to a much higher quality lustre than you find on the imported varieties. Even if you already have Madagascar wood in your collection, you owe it to yourself to see how nice these ancient treasures can be when properly prepared! This wood takes an extreme polish that looks just fabulous. It has a ton of detail and some of the nicest colors I’ve ever seen in petrified wood (and considering what we usually have on hand this is saying a lot). The camera struggles with lighter tones so some of the color in this piece is washed out, but it’s a real beauty in person! The heart is clearly visible and nicely center in a piece with a wonderful overall shape. It’s a striking Madagascar wood round sure to enhance any collection! It’s just amazing how beautiful petrified wood can be and this fine specimen found halfway around the world shows to what lengths people will go to bring these treasures to market! If you don’t own a top grade piece form this increasingly important deposit yet in your own collection, this is your chance. This is a virtually perfect round cut from the center of a nice sized log. This stone has been professionally polished on a special lap that produces a flat face and a mirror perfect shine. It is a perfect slab cut from the center of the log with a fair number of fractures but they’ve been stabilized so they didn’t flake out during finishing and represent no risk of breakage – it’s a fabulous piece. The polish really is liquid perfect – a difference in the quality products Sticks-in-Stones has built its reputation on! It measures about 7 3/4 in diameter. It’s cut about 0.58 thick. Weight is 2.22 lbs. The item “SiS BRICK RED WOODWORTHIA Rare Madagascar Petrified Wood Round” is in sale since Tuesday, November 26, 2019. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Rocks, Fossils & Minerals\Fossils\Vegetation\Petrified Wood”. The seller is “rockshop” and is located in Beaverton, Oregon. This item can be shipped worldwide.