What exactly are wood fossils and how much do they cost?

It has very important historical research value and great significance for the study of wood. Wood fossils are at least hundreds of millions of years after trees are quickly buried underground, and wood is partially buried by SiO? (Silica) Exchange tree fossils. It retains the wood structure and texture of trees. Colors are khaki, light yellow, tan, reddish brown, grayish white, grayish black and so on. The polished surface can be glassy, opaque or slightly transparent, because the texture of some wood fossils shows jade texture, also known as silicified wood or tree jade.

The price of a wood fossil ranges from tens of thousands, millions or even tens of millions of yuan. Silicified wood is a kind of plant fossil formed by fossilization of trees for various reasons hundreds of millions of years ago. In the stratum, chemicals around the trunk, such as silicon dioxide, iron sulfide and calcium carbonate, enter the trees under the action of groundwater, replacing the original wood components and retaining the shape of the trees. Because it contains many silica components, it is often called silicified wood or tree jade.

In fact, this bracelet is not the only one that Cartier uses wood fossils in high-end jewelry. Long before the Shanghai exhibition, Cartier held the Biennial of Antiques in Paris. At the world-famous press conference, Cartier's latest high-end jewelry series impressively included a tassel necklace pendant inlaid with three-dimensional bronze leopard head, which attracted everyone's attention. Later, it was confirmed that the raw material of this three-dimensional bronze panther head was also a wood fossil thousands of years ago.

Whether it is a cheetah bracelet made of wood fossils or a tassel necklace pendant inlaid with a three-dimensional bronze leopard head, it is the masterpiece of French gem carving master Philip Nicholas.