HERTFORDSHIRE PUDDINGSTONE - fine cut and polished piece

HERTFORDSHIRE PUDDINGSTONE

Cut and polished

One of Britain’s most unusual rocks
 
A fine piece of Hertfordshire puddingstone with one face cut and polished to a mirror finish. The base has been cut flat so it sits upright without a stand. The reverse a natural surface. 

Puddingstone was formed about 60 million years ago as layers of flint pebbles were laid down by the sea across Hertfordshire. When the sea retreated the pebbles were cemented together by quartz when the climate was hot, probably similar to the present day Kalahari Desert.  The result was a layer of extremely hard rock called Hertfordshire Puddingstone. 
 
During the Ice Age, about half a million years ago, pieces of puddingstone were carried by the early Thames from Hertfordshire into Essex.
 
Puddingstone was popular in Victorian times for jewellery and decorative objects.

Size:  12 x 10 x 3.5 centimetres
Weight:  702 grams​​​​​​