A gemstone tree is a wire armature hung with drilled stone chips, set into a base — usually an agate slice, a cluster or a cast resin block. They are decorative objects, sometimes called money trees or wish trees depending on which stone is used.
How they are made
Lengths of fine wire are threaded through drilled chips, twisted into branches, then the branches are gathered and twisted into a trunk. The trunk is set into the base with resin or plaster. It is entirely hand assembly, which is why no two are identical and why the branch arrangement on yours will not match the photograph.
Chip count is the honest measure of size. A 160-stone tree and a 320-stone tree of the same height look very different — the second is dense and full, the first is sparse. Sellers who do not state a chip count are usually selling the sparse one.
The base tells you most of what you need
An agate slice base is the best of them: heavy, stable, and often attractive in its own right. A cluster base looks impressive and can be less stable. A cast resin base is the cheap option and will usually be lighter than the tree above it, which is how you end up with something that tips over every time the table is knocked.
Weight in the hand is the quick test. A tree should feel bottom-heavy.
Reshaping one
They arrive bent. The wire is soft on purpose and branches get flattened in transit. Just bend them back — spread the branches outward and down, working from the trunk out, and the tree will look twice as good in two minutes. This is expected handling, not damage.
Do not over-work a single wire back and forth. Copper work-hardens and snaps.
Cleaning
Dust collects in the chips and is awkward to remove. A soft paintbrush or a hairdryer on cold is the practical answer. Do not submerge one — the base adhesive is rarely waterproof, and any selenite or calcite chips in the mix will not survive it.