It’s always fascinating to me when questions about Washington State make it to Jeopardy. A while back, I discovered a question about Yakima helped a lady win $20,000 on the show, and there have been plenty of others who scored big money by knowing their Pacific Northwest facts and figures.

How they can remember all this stuff is beyond me, ha, and to be honest, I never even knew there was an official state gem!

Read More: The Jeopardy Question About Yakima That Helped a Woman Win $20,000

The $1600 Jeopardy Clue That Surprised Viewers

During the Double Jeopardy round of the June 28, 2024 show, one of the categories was “Stuff About States.” In the $1600 category, the answer was:

“Not amber, but this fossilized tree product is Washington’s state gem.”

Andrew Fox, a clinical psychologist from Robbinsdale, Minnesota, guessed the question correctly! (The correct question at will be revealed at the end of this article!)

 

The Fascinating History Behind Washington’s State Gem

The story goes, some 14 million years ago, volcanoes erupted and the lava, ash, and mud buried Miocene forests and they became petrified. (I have a cool road trip idea for you: the Gingko Petrified Forest found near Vantage.)

The correct question is, “What is Petrified Wood?” If you got it right, give yourself a high-five!

Petrified Wood was designated as the official state gem back in 1975. Rock and gem enthusiasts say this gem is found in virtually every county in WA.

Check out this list of all the other official Washington State things you probably didn’t know, including our official State Dance, Tartan, and Vegetable.