August 29, 2005 went down in the history books as the date of one of the worst 
natural disasters to occur in the United States. This is the day that Hurricane Katrina 
hit the coast of Louisiana and all but decimated New Orleans, along with other towns 
and parishes. The American Bead Collection has chosen the ten-year anniversary of 
Katrina to present The Beads of Louisiana: Petrified Palmwood.

This stone was designated Louisiana’s state fossil in 1976 and is mostly found in
Western Louisiana, especially in the Toledo Bend area. 100 million years ago this 
area was tropical forest; trees that fell into mineral-rich mud became fossilized and 
petrified. 

Petrified Palmwood is often thought to be the most beautiful of all fossils. 
It’s said to be a stone of success and practicality, known to evoke tranquility, 
the calming of fears and acceptance of the present. We believe this is the 
perfect stone to represent the resiliency of the people of Louisiana.