Ammolite is a rare, iridescent, gem-quality material cut from the fossilized shells of extinct sea creatures known as ammonites. Found only in the Bearpaw Formation in Alberta, Canada, this organic gemstone has a dazzling range of colors and patterns and is highly desired for freeform natural cabochons and assembled jewelry pieces.
Ammolite
Value
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Ammolite “naturals” are freeform cabochons with a non-coated hand finish. They’re backed by the original shale of the fossil and can range in size up to 10 carats and 6 inches across. These are priced by carat weight, but the backing thickness shouldn’t exceed 1.5 mm.
Gem cutters can also create ammolite doublets or triplets. Doublets are freeform cabs bonded to a backing. Ammolite triplets are usually constructed on a dark gray wafer of natural shale (1) below a thin layer of ammolite (2). On top, there’s usually a calibrated cap of optical quartz or synthetic spinel (3). This structure allows the ammolite to show the most brilliant flash while protecting it in a setting durable enough for everyday jewelry wear.
Triplet Layers
The ammolite industry has yet to agree on any one grading system. However, most systems refer to color, brightness, iridescence, etc.
Gem Grade
AA
A+
A
A-
Colors
3 or more
1 or 2
1 or Pale
Dark/Pale
Iridescence
Brilliant
Bright
Included
Dull/Dark
Chromatic Shift
Spectro
Di
Mono
Little
Rotational Range
360°
240°
180°
90°
For more information on ammolite quality factors consult the IGS buying guide.
Ammolite can be found in any color known in nature or the imagination. It can also have a vast array of color combinations in every square centimeter. See "Comments" below.
Heat Sensitivity
Yes
Formula
CaCO3.Variable, may include aragonite, calcite, silica, pyrite, or other minerals
Etymology
From ammonite, the fossils of an extinct cephalopod with a spiral shell like a ram's horn. Ammonite was named after the Ancient Egyptian god Amun, who was represented with ram's horns.
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Ammolite from Placenticeras fossil ammonite, found in the Bearpaw Formation, St. Mary River Valley, southern Alberta, southwestern Canada. Photo by James St. John. Licensed under CC By 2.0.
Comments
Ammolite was first used for commercial jewelry in the 1960s. It was only recognized as an organic gemstone in 1981 by the Coloured Stones Commission of the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO).
Ammolite is also known as calcentine and by the trade name Korite. The mining company Korite International Ltd. is the largest commercial supplier of this gemstone. In Siksika, the language of the native Blackfoot people, the stone is called aapoak, meaning “small, crawling stone.”
What’s the Difference Between Ammolite and Ammonite?
You may find the terms ammolite and ammonite sometimes used interchangeably. However, ammonite, strictly speaking, refers to the fossil shells of ammonites, whether gem-quality or not. Ammolite refers to the gem-quality material made from fossils of particular species of ammonites.
Ammonites were marine mollusks that became extinct around 65 million years ago. There were many species of ammonites, and their fossils have been found across the globe. The fossils of Placenticeras meeki,Placenticeras intercalare, and Baculites compressus can yield gem-quality ammolite. To date, this material has been found only in Alberta, Canada.
Other gem-quality ammonite exists, such as lumachelle, which lapidaries cut from the fossils of Carnites floridus found in Austria. Although this iridescent material resembles ammolite, its mineral composition differs.
Only about 5% of the ammonites found in Alberta have any suitable gem material. This only occurs on the shell surface. Of those specimens, gem cutters can typically use only about 20% of the shell. All ammolites come from that small amount of usable gem-quality material. These percentages make these gems extremely rare.
Fossilized ammonite shell is comprised primarily of aragonite (the major constituent mineral of pearl) with trace elements of aluminum, barium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, strontium, titanium, and vanadium. The iridescent outer layers may be 0.5-8.0 mm thick before polishing and 0.1-3.0 mm thick after polishing.
A fossilized ammonite with a colorful, iridescent layer, on display at the Yokohama Dinosaur Expo, 2015. Photo by ★Kumiko★. Licensed under CC By- SA 2.0.
Ammolite Colors
High-grade ammolites will have either a very strong, bright, single color or a range of bright colors. These gems can show any color of the rainbow. (Sometimes, they seem to show more than that!) Low-grade gemstones will show less vibrant colors in a more limited range. Generally, red and green are more common than blue or purple. Certain hues, like crimson, violet, and gold, are very rare and in high demand.
Ammolites can show striking patterns of healed fractures and colors. These have various descriptive names, such as:
Stained Glass: window panes
Dragonskin: scales
Cobblestone: regular, uneven rows
Floral: flower petals
Ribbon: long, thin patterns
Feather: tendrils
Tin Foil: bright, crinkle-stacked pattern
Paintbrush: broad strokes
Moonglow: inner glow, mono or dichromatic
Pinfire: small plates of changing flash
Sunset: red tinged landscape scenes
Lava River: green with red rivers of lava
Christmas Tree: green with red ornaments or freckles
Suture Gem: suture or leaf pattern
Nipplites: three dimensional rainbow eye or tubercle
Ripple: regular-spaced rainbow striations or ribs
Banding: distinct color bands
Stain: spreading color changes
Lava Lamp: color globules
Terrain: aerial map
The geological layers in which ammonites fossilized affected the formation of these patterns. (See “Sources” below).
Patterns found in K Zone ammolites of the Bearpaw Formation
Patterns found in Blue Zone ammolites of the Bearpaw Formation
Identifying Characteristics
Iridescence
Iridescence is the property that creates the incredible colors across the surface of ammolites. The surface of gem-quality fossil shells is composed of closely-packed, tabular crystals of aragonite, with their c-axis oriented vertical to the shell surface. They form thin lamellae (plates or scales). The thickness of the aragonite lamellae is of the same scale as the wavelengths of the spectral colors that make up white light. Thus, when white light enters the regularly spaced, thin layers of aragonite, diffraction occurs, visible as flashes of spectral colors.
The plates of aragonite crystals vary in thickness: ordered, thick stacks for red gems, less ordered, thinner stacks for green, and unordered, very thin stacks for blue ones. Additionally, trace elements are randomly arranged and interspersed with inclusions of organic material (conchiolin). These factors determine the colors and intensity of the diffraction. The best gems will have brilliant, vibrant iridescence, continually dancing with changing colors as the angle of incident light changes.
Chromatic Shift
The color of ammolite depends on the angle of light and the viewer’s perspective. Sometimes, a chromatic shift occurs. This can be subtle or spectacularly dramatic. In a dichromatic shift, red will shift to green, green will shift to blue, etc. Some gem material will have shift restricted to hues within the same primary color group. This shift is called monochromatic. However, the best material has spectrochromatic shift. The color will shift through the entire spectrum depending on the light source and angle of observation.
Rotational Range
Some material won’t show strong, vibrant colors through 360° of rotation. When these stones are rotated, the brightness decreases and darkens to black. This is due to organic inclusions in the aragonite blocking light wave diffraction. A high-grade gemstone must show a brilliant color through 360° of rotation.
Ammolite is only found in the Bearpaw Formation, which extends from Alberta to Saskatchewan in Canada and south to Montana in the US. The best gem-quality ammolite is found along high-energy river systems on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta. Most commercial mining takes place along the banks of the St. Mary River, south of Lethbridge.
The Bearpaw Sea
75 to 70 million years ago, this was the northwestern edge of the Bearpaw Sea (also known as the Western Interior Seaway). This shallow, warm body of water teemed with life. One of its most prolific inhabitants was the ammonite. These creatures thrived in every ecological niche open to them. They were deep-water bottom feeders as well as jet-propelled predators. Ammonites had big brains, too.
In Ammonoid, artist Heinrich Harder (1858-1935) depicted ammonites as they would have appeared in life. Public Domain.
The Growth of the Rockies
Cataclysmic volcanic activity from the growing Rockies periodically covered huge areas with meters of ash. As the ash settled slowly on the shallow ocean floor, it killed all life below. A heavy, semi-impermeable layer of mineral-rich clay (bentonite) sealed their remains. Over time, ash buried the St. Mary River area over 4 km deep. Through many glacial periods, the area underwent geological uplift and, eventually, surface exposure. High concentrations of iron and magnesium created a regionally unique condition, which led to sedimentary digenesis. This impeded the oxidization process that converts the aragonite of the ammonite shell to stable calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
K Zone and Blue Zone Ammolite
Protected by either large ironstone concretions (siderite or FeCO3) or a thin layer of iron pyrite (FeS2), ammolites formed in two distinct geological horizons known as the K Zone (crush) and the Blue Zone (sheet). The infill rate of seaborne sediment into the ammonite chambers could explain the iron pyrite difference between crush and sheet material.
K Zone Ammolite: Always found in concretions, compacted and fractured through deposition and naturally sealed with a carbonate or conchiolin. Found 30 meters below the top of the Bearpaw Formation.
Blue Zone Ammolite: Sometimes found in concretions, usually found compressed with a thin layer of iron pyrite. Compacted with fewer or no fractures. Rarely mined, hand-collected in a horizon 120 meters below the bottom of the Bearpaw Formation in river valleys.
Care
Freeform “naturals” make excellent choices for brooches, pendants, or earrings. For rings, use triplets.
The care recommendations for pearls also apply to ammolite naturals. Avoid using mechanical systems like ultrasonic and steam cleaners. Preferably, clean these gems with warm, soapy water and a brush. Excessive heat, acids, and some perfumes or hairsprays may damage them or cause a loss of iridescence.
You may clean triplets in ultrasonic systems. Although the cap should protect the ammolite from scratches, make sure you suspend your piece off the bottom of the machine. Strong jolts during cleaning could separate the layers.
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