STAR IN STRIPES

Large slice of petri ed wood, Triassic period

Petrified wood, or fossilised wood, is popular with collectors and is made into tiles, bowls, garden statuary and decorative objects, as well as displayed as standalone pieces. This generous slice of an Araucarioxylon arizonicum tree from northern Arizona has wow factor in spades and dates to the Triassic period, making it around 225 million years old. The wood, sliced lengthways and polished to reveal the subtle striations of colour, had been transformed into a co ee table top, 150cm long and 84cm wide. It sold for £18,750 at Christie’s last autumn.