Opalized Petrified Wood Pendant Necklace from Obi Island in Sterling Silver

This piece of opalized petrified wood from Obi Island, Indonesia, has the most incredible coloring. Against a nearly black background, brilliant greens sweep across the lower half of the stone, shifting from deep emerald to vivid, almost electric green. There's even a little warm rust and brown along the bottom. The effect reminds me of the Northern Lights, those luminous ribbons of green moving across a dark night sky. It's an unusual piece of opalwood, and the contrast is what makes it so striking.

I've set the stone vertically in sterling and fine silver, following its long, tapered shape with a textured silver border. A hinged bail gives the pendant movement, while three silver granules finish the bottom. The reverse has a richly textured pattern of its own, making the back just as interesting as the front.

Opalized petrified wood begins as ancient wood that becomes buried and gradually replaced by silica-rich minerals over immense stretches of geological time. In some deposits, opal forms as part of that replacement process, preserving traces of the original wood while creating extraordinary colors and patterns. Material from Indonesia's Obi Island is especially fascinating for its range of colors and unusual mineral inclusions. No two pieces are quite alike.

✧ Stone: Natural opalized petrified wood from Obi Island, Indonesia
✧ Pendant Size: Approximately 63 × 17.5 mm, including hinged bail
✧ Metal: Sterling silver and fine silver
✧ Details: Hinged bail, textured silver border, decorative silver granules, and patterned reverse
✧ Chain: Sterling silver elongated rectangular-link chain, patinaed and polished
✧ Length: Adjustable from 18 to 20 inches with a 2-inch sterling silver extension chain
✧ Closure: Sterling silver lobster claw clasp with extension chain

One-of-a-kind and made with care in my studio.