Louisiana Gemstones

You may not think of Louisiana as a place where you can find gemstones.  But the Bayou State does have a couple gems that some people are turning into jewelry. 

from Petrified palm to polished art

In the workshop of his Deridder, Louisiana home, Rick Schermerhorn spends hours transforming ancient rocks into glittering pieces of jewelry, bottle stoppers, bookmarks, and even guitar picks. His process begins with rough chunks of petrified palm wood, which he cuts into thin slabs before polishing them to reveal intricate pattern and colors. “It will automatically feed this piece of palm wood into that saw blade,” Schermerhorn explains as he loads a large stone into his 20-inch saw and lowers the cover.

louisiana gemstones began with volcanoes

The story of these stones goes back tens of millions of years, when central Louisiana was a coastal marsh. Volcanic ash from eruptions in New Mexico and West Texas blanketed the landscape, covering the native palm trees. Over time, water seeped through the ash, fossilizing the wood and infusing it with mineral-rich colors. “Palm trees got covered up with this volcanic ash,” Schermerhorn says. “And over millions of years of water seeping through the volcanic ash gives this petrified palm wood all the different colors that you see.”

The results can be stunning — but also unpredictable. “You have to cut it and see what it looks like,” he says. “It may be gem quality. You don’t know that for sure until you first cut it.”

the unique louisiana opal

Aside from petrified palm wood, Schermerhorn also collects Louisiana opal, a rare stone with colorful flecks formed by the same ancient volcanic activity. He holds up a dark oval-shaped opal glinting with colors and notes, “The Louisiana opal has not been found outside of the state.”

These unique stones, however, aren’t easy to come by. “There’s no place you can just go dig publicly and find the stuff,” Schermerhorn explains. Instead, he suggests searching along creek beds or the shores of Toledo Bend Lake. “It’s not like you just go there and just find a whole bunch of it. You have to search really hard for it,” he says.

louisiana gemstones featured on tv

At gem shows, Schermerhorn sells his polished creations, but he also enjoys educating others about these ancient stones — often handing out unpolished samples to kids. For him, it’s about celebrating Louisiana’s rich geological history, and sharing a bit of its hidden beauty with the world.

UPCOMING SHOWS

Schermerhorn will be participating in two upcoming arts and craft shows in 2025.

-Shop Til You Drop Arts and Craft Show at the Bossier Civic Center in Bossier City, LA – September 12-13, 2025

-Lake Charles Flea Fest at the Burton Coliseum – November 15-16, 2025

You can contact Rick Schermerhorn by email: rscherm10@gmail.com.