Septarian Freeform Palm Stone - 64mm, 103g

Locality - Mahajanga, Madagascar
Size – 64 x 43 x 25mm
Weight – 103g

This septarian freeform features nice, crisp 'giraffe skin' patterns with sandy brown limestone patches surrounded by dark chocolate brown aragonite borders and lemon yellow calcite. It has been nicely rounded, smoothed and shaped to an ergonomic, palm-fitting size and polished to a high shine, making this stone ideal for holding.

The septarian stone, also called 'septereye' and 'septaria', is named after the Latin word 'septum', meaning 'partition', and refers to the cracks and separations characteristic of the rock, and not for the Latin name for 'seven' as widely believed. Septarian stones are a form of sedimentary geode formed on ancient sea floors during the Cretaceous period 50-70 million years ago. Though their formation is not completely understood, it is widely believed that it started when sea life killed by volcanic eruptions became trapped in sediment forming mud balls that dried and cracked when the ocean receded. As the ocean returned, decomposing shell life carried calcite into the cracks which crystallized. The yellow colour is caused by calcite, the brown lines by aragonite, the grey rock from limestone and the white or clear areas by barite.

Septarian stones are also known as 'Dragon Stones' due to an old Malagasy legend claiming the stones to be the fossilized remains of dragons, the cracked patterns resembling their scales.