Fossil and mineralized materials
Materials that preserve biological structure and have been partly or wholly replaced by minerals; the main body may be quartz/chalcedony.
What this family is
For a piece of silicified coral crossing a border, the identification decides which rules apply: CITES annotation A26 provides that fossils are not subject to the Convention, so material identified as fossil does not trigger it. Petrified wood, petrified palm wood and ammolite belong here too: the biological structure is preserved, and the host may be quartz or chalcedony.
Scope of this family
Materials that preserve biological structure and have been partly or wholly replaced by minerals; the main body may be quartz/chalcedony.
Member entries (5)
Treatments recorded on member entries
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Treatment | Member entries | Disclosure requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Filled / Fracture-filled | Petrified Wood, Silicified Coral / Fossil Coral, Silicified Jade | Name the filler (resin, oil, polymer, glass or lead glass) and bear in mind that fillings can be unstable and may deteriorate or change colour over time. LMHC Information Sheet #3 treats corundum with glass in two ways: glass in fissures or cavities is still reported on natural corundum as a filling, and only a badly fractured single piece infused throughout, or small fragments bound together with glass, is reported as a manufactured product. |
| Dyed | Petrified Wood, Silicified Coral / Fossil Coral, Silicified Jade | Must be disclosed. Dye may fade, bleed or dissolve in solvents (alcohol, acetone), and dyed material must not be labelled "natural colour"; dyed jadeite counts as B/C jade and must be conspicuously labelled; dyed agate and chalcedony are extremely common. |
| Impregnated | Ammolite | Must be disclosed. Where the impregnation also brings colour, as in jadeite that has been acid-treated and then impregnated with polymer and colour, or Zachery-treated turquoise, the colouring is part of what has to be declared. |
Care codes on member entries
Member entries cite these CIBJO special-care codes: special-care code a, special-care code b, special-care code h, special-care code j, special-care code k, special-care code m. General gem care gives the full wording of every code.
Where members are recorded
Some member entries record the localities where their materials are found; Recorded localities shows them on a sketch map and lists them by continent.
Names
- 简体中文
- 化石与矿化材料
- 繁體中文
- 化石與礦化材料
- English
- Fossil and mineralized materials
- 日本語
- 化石・鉱化材料
Authority source
- Authority source
- Review status
- Reviewed against CIBJO, GB/T and IMA boundaries.
Shared classification
All 5 members share these values:
- Origin class
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Identity level
- Rock / mineral aggregate
- Mineral chemical class
- Mixed / composition-dependent
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown