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AMMOLITE FOR SALE
What Is Ammolite?
Ammolite is a fossilized ammonite shell that exhibits unique iridescence. These fossils are renowned for their color play and the variety of vibrant colors they flash. Ammonites are extinct cephalopods that looked similar to the extant nautilus but are more closely related to modern octopuses. As ammonite shells fossilized in what is now the Bearpaw Formation, the minerals aragonite and calcite formed, enhancing the iridescent qualities and thickening the ammolite shells to produce the color play that is stunning to behold.
An ammonite composed entirely of ammolite. Complete specimens of this quality are rare and prices run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Why Is Ammolite Iridescent?
Ammolite’s iridescence is due to the lamellar structure of its nacreous shell. This means that the ammolite shell is composed of many fine alternating parallel layers and structures. Lamellar structures are not only strong and durable, but often create an opalescent or iridescent effect through a process referred to as structural coloration. Structural coloration is when there are minute variations in microscopic parallel structures on an object's surface (typically an animal’s shell, feathers, or wing cases) that break up the way light is refracted and reflected through the surface and to the viewer’s eye. In the case of nacreous shells, the plates of aragonite that form them are stacked at a thickness that is similar to a wavelength of visible light that it is reflecting. The thicker the layers, the more reds and greens are produced; the thinner the layers, the more blues and violets predominate. Reds and greens are the most commonly seen colors, owing to the greater fragility of the finer layers responsible for the blues.
Where Does Ammolite Come From?
The majority of the ammolite on the market today comes from two major mining operations. One of them claims to produce 90 percent of the ammolite circulating today. Gem-quality ammolite is mined almost exclusively from the Late Cretaceous (~70 million years) aged Bearpaw Formation, situated near the St. Mary River in southwestern Alberta, Canada. The Bearpaw Shale is a product of the formation of volcanic activity that spawned the Rocky Mountains. A series of major eruptions filled the shallow Bearpaw sea with an incredible amount of volcanic ash that settled, burying all sea-life therein so completely that it was nearly impregnable by oxygen or water. This covering was so complete that the aragonite in the ammolite was unable to shift to its chemically stable state of calcite. It is the microfracturing of the aragonite that creates its iridescence and makes ammolite such a prized collector's item.
Open pit mining operations at one of Korite's ammolite mines in Alberta.
Ammolite is found in one of two stratigraphic layers of the Bearpaw Formation: the K Zone or the Blue Zone. These layers are separated by about 35 meters (about 115 feet) and have different geologic compositions. The K Zone is much closer to the surface, about 30 meters down, and is characterized by thick concretions that envelop the ammolite. This layer is referred to as crush material because of the state of the ammolite after millions of years of sediment compaction and deposition. Most of the ammolite on the market is from the K Zone. The primary reason for this is the depth at which it is found in comparison to the Blue Zone.
At a depth of about 65 meters or 215 feet, the Blue Zone is comprised of what is often labeled as sheet material, a reference to thin layers of iron pyrite plating accompanying the ammolite there. This phenomena typically results in fewer shell fractures but a reduced thickness when considering the lack of heavy concretion. Ammolite from the Blue Zone is typically hand-collected in river valleys where large-scale mining equipment is either forbidden or unable to access. Experts suggest that an influx of marine sediment is responsible for the thicker, heavily fractured ammolite that comes out of the K Zone.
Korite, the world's largest ammolite mining corporation, digs for ammolite with an environmentally conscious mindset. The depth needed to attain ammolite is not very deep, so when Korite is done exploring an area they will replace the dirt as it was excavated, layer by layer. They even go so far as to re-seed that patch of moved earth with native grass seed.
What Makes Ammolite So Rare?
Most of the ammolite in the world is pulled from only one locality: the Bearpaw Formation in Alberta, Canada. Because of this scarce availability and the flashiness of the mineral, the ammolite has become a prized collector’s piece. In addition to the lack of global availability, the process in which ammolite is exhumed is limited by a multitude of factors. When mining for ammolite, drilling and coring to search for this mineral is out of the question. This process is not broad enough to catch many pockets of ammolite and large-scale excavation is required to locate it. It is not environmentally or economically feasible to search like this, so mineralogists suspect that ammolite mines don’t have much more of a future. If the mining process wasn’t narrow enough, the overall amount of ammolite collected is rapidly declining, contributing to its uncertain future. While iridescent ammonite fossils have been found in many locations including Madagascar, Utah, and Russia the quality is far below what would be considered ammolite. Material from these locations lacks the vibrant color and shell thickness needed to produce suitable gemstones.
History Of Ammolite Gemstones & Jewelry
Ammolite is a relative newcomer to the gemstone and jewelry scene, first appearing on the market in the late 1960s. Fossil ammonite shell itself is quite thin and unstable, so to be used in jewelry it needs to be stabilized with epoxy and affixed to a backing to create what is known as a doublet. These doublets can then be fashioned into pendants, earrings, rings, and any other jewelry item you can think of. The first commercial doublets of this gem were introduced in 1967 by Ammolite Minerals Ltd.
It wasn’t until 1981 when ammolite was given official gemstone status by the World Jewelry Federation that its popularity really began to rise. At about that same time, Korite began their first ammolite mining operations and they now account for nearly 90 percent of the world's raw supply of ammolite. While the vast majority of ammolite gemstones and jewelry are sold into Asian markets, it has slowly started to become more widely known and popular in the US market as well.
March, 2022: Ammolite Announced As Alberta's Official Gemstone
Ammolite Fun Facts
1. The Blackfoot people of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Montana have used ammolite as religious talismans and ceremonial items throughout history. They called them “iniskim”, which can be translated to “buffalo stone.” Many legends have spun out of ammolite use in Blackfoot culture long before ammolite received gemstone status in the late 1970s.
2. Ammolite is one of only three biogenic (produced by living organisms) gemstones: the other two are amber and pearls.
Why Buy Ammolite From Fossil Era?
We buy ammolite directly from the largest producer in Alberta, Canada, allowing us to provide top quality specimens, cabochons, and jewelry at excellent prices. FossilEra is the largest retailer of authentic fossil specimens in the world, shipping over 120,000 orders in our first eight years in business. Our customers have given us an average 4.9 out of 5 star satisfaction rating on over 16,000 reviews collected by eKomi. We provide a money-back guarantee on the authenticity of everything we sell, as well as a no-questions-asked, 30-day return policy. Feel free to contact our customer service team if you have any questions prior to purchase.
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