Ammolite (Opalescent Placenticeras Fossil)

Item Description

Ammolite is the commercial gem name that is used to refer to the opalescent fossils shells of Ammonite (Placenticeras) primarily from Alberta, Canada. Upon analysis, these stones have been confirmed as Aragonite, so this is one of those cool blendings of the gem/mineral/fossil world all in one place. You don't see a lot of gem quality fossil material from any world locality, let alone one that contains an actual mineral species. It's actually what's referred to as a biogenic gemstone, meaning that it came from or contains organic material, e.g., Pearl, Amber or Coral. What makes Ammolite so enticing is the intense rainbow of colors that they exhibit, ranging from fiery reds and oranges to shimmering cool greens, blues and purples. According to the listing from Wikipedia, "unlike most other gems, whose colors come from light absorption, the iridescent color of ammolite comes from interference with the light that rebounds from stacked layers of thin platelets that make up the aragonite". This "rectangle" cabochon cut gem features a wonderful mix of vibrant hues that range from gold and orange to green and teal when rotated in the auction. Great quality throughout, and hard to find on the market now. Don't miss out on this one, it's fine quality and according to what I've been told, little mining has been done recently.