Talented craftsmen have flooded Bali with their meticulous works, making it renowned as the home of wonderful crafts.

The crafts come not only with unique designs but also diverse materials — from bamboo, metals, wood, stones and recently, petrified wood.

Still considered uncommon and new, craftsmen have successfully turned ancient wood into beautiful creations.

Petrified wood — often referred to as fossilized wood — are logs that have turned to rock after being buried for a long period of time. Some experts believe that minerals in soil are responsible for the petrification process, which only happens in certain areas while in most, trees will simply decompose.

Irene Setyawati, a marketing executive from Maharani Craft, said her company first used petrified wood for jewelry collections.

Ready for carving: Unfinished plates of petrified wood. (JP/Intan Tanjung)
The company used to produce silver jewelry and other wooden handicrafts for export in the 1990s but as the price of silver started to roar, new ranges of materials, such as lava stones, shells, corals, crystals and petrified wood started to adorn the jewelry — replacing silver as the main material.

The wood are simply shaped, from oval to square-shaped, and then turned into beautiful rings, necklaces, earrings, cuffs and many more.

The wood patterns lend a unique look to the jewelry and unlike regular wood; jewelry made with petrified wood can last much longer. Stainless steel does the job as metal material in the jewelry, but some exclusive ones still use silver.

“We produce jewelry of different sizes, from big to small, but the natural pattern will stand out more on big size jewelries,” said Irene.

Aside from jewelry, Maharani Craft also produces home decorations, such as coat hooks, decorative items, bottle-stoppers, candleholders, doorknobs and lamps — made from this fossilized wood.

Aside from jewelry, Maharani Craft also has several decorative items taking shape in the form of a cube, tube, ball, animals or often still in its natural shape.

Simple details, additional materials and equipment, as well as excellent final touches turn this natural material into valuable pieces.

“It’s better to keep it natural and that is the value of this material. It already brings a strong character,” said Irene.

Color is another unique aspect of petrified wood, as they don’t all look the same.
Creative: A book stand shows amazing natural colors of minerals that turned the ancient log into stone. (JP/Intan Tanjung)

Deposited minerals in logs while buried are believed to be responsible for turning the wood into different natural colors, such as black, brown, light brown, transparent and even somewhat bright colors — making the petrified wood an interesting pick for home décor.

One of Irene’s clients for example, has ordered a log-like bookstand — with the log cut crosswise and placed side by side with the books in the middle — revealing a beautiful pattern with gorgeous natural color combinations on its surface: amazing black carbonized color, white and shades of grey in the middle with surrounded shades of brown and on the side.

In the center, the bookstand reveals a stone-like character, but on the side, the pattern slowly shows a wood-like character.

The company’s customers hail from Europe and the US, including renowned British designer brand Tom Dixon, famous for his eclectic collections.

Although some petrified wood suppliers in Bali are unaware of the age of the wood they sell, most believe that the logs are ancient. No specific research is carried out to learn their real age; therefore the pieces are often priced based on appearance.

Apart from jewelry, many craftsmen in Bali have also produced wonderful products such as tables, hand basins and sculptures.

The raw materials come log-shaped, unattractive to untrained eyes. Some products are often left in their natural state.

Processing petrified wood is quite difficult and expensive since the wood is as hard as rock. The process can be time consuming, depending on shape and size.

Beautiful: A decorative item made out of petrified wood. (JP/Intan Tanjung)

Talented craftsmen have flooded Bali with their meticulous works, making it renowned as the home of wonderful crafts.

The crafts come not only with unique designs but also diverse materials '€” from bamboo, metals, wood, stones and recently, petrified wood.

Still considered uncommon and new, craftsmen have successfully turned ancient wood into beautiful creations.

Petrified wood '€” often referred to as fossilized wood '€” are logs that have turned to rock after being buried for a long period of time. Some experts believe that minerals in soil are responsible for the petrification process, which only happens in certain areas while in most, trees will simply decompose.

Irene Setyawati, a marketing executive from Maharani Craft, said her company first used petrified wood for jewelry collections.