Chalcedony

An attractive stalactitic chalcedony specimen with a soft, pearly lustre, composed of concentric silica layers built up around a hollow central cavity. The cavity was originally occupied, at least in part, by a thin, hard hematite spine, which is no longer attached to the surrounding chalcedony. Although many of the “fingertips” are missing, this remains a very good representative example, displaying excellent translucency and pleasing natural colour.

As of 2017, the precise locality remains undisclosed, though material of this type is often said by local sellers to originate “near” Mount Merapi in Central Java, Indonesia. In that region, stalactitic chalcedony is collected for both the lapidary (bead) trade and the mineral specimen market. The material is a variety of chalcedony that may exhibit subtle banding and segmented structures reminiscent of bamboo, contributing to its distinctive and decorative appearance.