Texas State Gem – Blue Topaz, Texas State Stone – Petrified Palmwood

The Texas Blue Topaz was adopted as the Texas state gem and Petrified Palmwood as the Texas state stone on March 26, 1969. The Blue Topaz is found in the Llano uplift area in Central Texas and is most commonly used in jewelry. Petrified Palmwood is generally found in eastern counties near the Texas Gulf Coast and is actually a fossil rather than a stone. According to Bernardine Fine Art Jewelry, “It [petrified palm wood] comes from palm trees in the Oligocene Epoch, between 20 – 40 million years ago, give or take a few years. The characteristic spotted look of palmwood is from the rod like structures within the grain of the wood. Depending upon the angle the lapidary uses to cut the stone, these structures show up as spots, tapering rods, or lines.”