Ammolite

Ammolite is a biogenic gemstone that forms as thin sheets on the surface of of ammonite fossils, a sea creature that became extinct 65.5 million years ago. Although its outward appearance resembles that of the nautilus, ammonite’s genetic composition is more closely related to the modern squid, octupus, or cuttlefish.

Ammolite’s brilliant iridescence is its most prized feature, refracting light in all the colours of the rainbow. This is achieved through millions of years of geological change, and today it is considered one of the rarest and most valuable organic gemstones in the world. The more colours it shows, the higher the grade.

The gemstone is primarily calcium carbonate with traces of other minerals such as silica or Calcite. The shell of the ammonite is a form of Aragonite. The stone is popular for jewellry and decorative purposes, but because of its poor hardness (4.5 – 5.5 on the Moh’s scale), there are relatively few experts that can process the gem for use in jewellry.

Ammolite is valued by grade, or the number of colours it represents. Red and green are the most common colours, with blue and purple following. Other colour combinations such as red, violet and gold are most rare and highly demanded. The thickness of the ammolite layer on the shell and the absence of cracks on its surface are also factors when considering its value.

Ammonite fossils are found throughout the world, but the most brilliantly coloured ammolites are exclusive to southern Alberta, Canada. The most prominent mine is the Korite mine near Lethbridge, from which especially large and intact specimens are discovered about 50 times a year and sold to museums or collectors worldwide. Others may be retained for scientific study.

In addition, every ammonite specimen exported from Canada requires a permit from provincial regulators and the federal Department of Canadian Heritage (Boswell, 50).

History

The ammonite was used as a traditional decorative object of the Blood Nation aboriginals who live in the Bearpaw shales of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and nearby U.S. states. They continue to mine the gemstone to this day (Boswell, 50).

Ammolite was given gemstone status by the World Jewellry Confederation in 1981. It was the same year that commercial mining of the stone began, and only the third newly named semi-precious stone in the last 50 years. In 2004, ammolite was named the official gemstone of the Province of Alberta. In 2007, ammolite also represented the City of Lethbridge as its official stone.

Healing Properties

Feng Shui followers refer to ammolite as the “Seven Colour Prosperity Stone”, with its colours of red, orange, green, yellow, and blue representing energy, creativity, wisdom, wealth and peace, respectively. It is also believed to help remove toxicity in the body.

Aboriginal tribes believe that ammolite is a stone of good luck, whereby a legend tells of a woman who found an ammonite and brought it back to her hungry tribe, who discovered a herd of buffalo shortly afterwards. It is also known then as the Buffalo Stone.

Ammolite’s many colours is also believed to help relieve depression and bring peace of mind to oneself. Its circular shape is also believed to promote intuition and perception during the thought process.

Scientific info

References

International Gem Society. “Ammonlite.” Accessed September 16, 2010.
Boswell, Randy, “Iridescent Alberta fossils hot items at auction,” Canwest News Service, March 24, 2009, 50.
Hall, Judy, The Crystal Bible 2. (Cincinnati, Ohio: Walking Stick Press, 2009), 201.