Gem Citrine Crystal Paleo Story Stone Effigy

Описание: In this video, Richard Dempsey presents an exceptional Paleo Story Stone face and mammoth effigy carved from gem quality citrine crystal originating in Brazil, South America. South America has produced a large number of Paleo Story Stones, and this specimen represents one of the finest known examples due to both the quality of the material and the sophistication of the Paleolithic workmanship.

Richard explains that while many South American Story Stones are found in nickel iron meteorites from the Campo del Cielo meteoritic strewn field, which is a relatively soft material, this effigy was made from citrine quartz crystal. Citrine measures approximately 7 on the Mohs scale, making it significantly harder than meteorite iron and comparable in hardness to volcanic glass. Despite this hardness, the stone was expertly flaked, etched, grooved, and sculpted by Paleoindian ancestors more than 12,000 years ago.

The featured piece is optic quality citrine that is transparent, canary yellow, and completely natural, with no modern enhancement or treatment. Richard highlights the defining features of the Paleo Story Stone tradition visible on this artifact, including baby and mature mammoths with short and sweeping trunks, pecked eyes, and etched hair tufts, as well as multiple human faces representing young and old individuals. The faces show engraved eyes, noses, mouths, and elaborate hair patterns created through fine Paleolithic engraving.

Particular attention is given to the engraving techniques, where larger grooves were formed by combining multiple fine incision lines. This same technique appears on Clovis era Story Stones from Mount Shasta and other locations, demonstrating a consistent and advanced approach to stone engraving across regions. The engraving lines cross flake ridges and remain deeply patinated, confirming their Paleolithic origin and ruling out modern alteration.

Richard also discusses how the perimeter of the stone was carefully flaked to create flowing profiles that image both mammoths and faces, a form of workmanship that has often gone unrecognized. Purchased as rough citrine from a rock dealer unaware of its significance, this artifact illustrates how many Paleo Story Stones remain unidentified.

This video provides a detailed look at high level Paleolithic stone artistry and demonstrates how early humans transformed some of the hardest and most beautiful natural materials on Earth into enduring symbolic expressions of mammoths, ancestry, and human identity.

Learn more about Richard Dempsey’s research and global Paleo Story Stone discoveries at
www.antiquitiesoftheamericas.com