Ammolite - A Rare and Fortunate Gemstone by Terry Yoschak

A Rare Gemstone

To produce ammolite, nature must first have ammonites, the extinct squid-like mollusks of the upper Cretaceous period.  This sounds easy enough -- millions of ammonites lived in every one of earth's oceans.  They were eaten by aquatic reptiles like mosasaurs, and the ammonite shells sank to the bottom of the sea beds and became the familiar coiled fossils we've all seen.  

But only in one area of the earth were the conditions right for the mineralization of the ammonite shells into beautiful colors and iridescent layers.  The Bearpaw Formation in southeastern Alberta, Canada, was once a shallow sea at the base of the young Canadian Rockies.  Through eons of volcanic ash deposits and river sedimentation, the ammonite shells were buried and mineralized.  Heavy local concentrations of iron and magnesium prevented the oxidation process that would normally convert the shells to calcium carbonate.  Rare minerals such as strontium, titanium and vanadium added to this unusual situation and produced some of the spectacular colors found in the ammolite deposits.  

Ninety percent of ammolite is mined by a single company, Korite International, at a single mine where deposits were first discovered along the St. Mary's River in 1908.  About 10 tons of material must be mined to produce 4.5 pounds of ammolite.  If new deposits are not found, the source will be exhausted in the next 20 years.  Originally called korite, ammolite was recognized by the International Colored Gemstone Commission (ICGC) in 1981, and is now the national gemstone of Canada.  

Composition and Beauty

Ammolite is mostly aragonite, the same mineral that forms pearls. Trace elements can include aluminum, barium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, strontium, titanium and vanadium.  Its hardness is 4.0-4.5. Its iridescence comes from light reflecting on stacked layers of aragonite. The color red is caused by the thickest stacks, green by the medium stacks, and blue by the very thinnest stacks.   

Ammolite is said to rival black opals in fire and color. It can be any color in the rainbow, or any combination of colors, blue being the rarest.  Each color may be surrounded by black lines, forming patterns. Patterns of colors are given distinctive names, such as "Stained Glass" (a window pane pattern), "Dragonskin" (scales), or "Lava Lamp" (colored globules). The best gem material has spectrochromatic shift, in which all colors of the rainbow can be seen when the material is rotated.  

A Fortune Gemstone

The Blackfoot tribe tells the legend of the Iniskim, or Buffalo Stone.  Long ago, before the people had horses, the tribe could not keep up with the migrating buffalo herds. One winter, all the people faced starvation, until a young woman saw a brilliantly colored stone which sang to her about its powers to bring back the buffalo.  The stone said it had many relatives, and if the tribe would gather them, bring them home, and treat them with respect, the stones would use their powers to make the buffalo return.  The people collected the stones and brought them small offerings of buffalo skin and fur, and indeed the herds returned, and the people were well-fed.  Thus the Iniskim (ammolite) is regarded as a sacred stone which brings good fortune and abundance.

In the Far East, shells often symbolize good luck, prosperity and abundance.  Experts in the practice of feng shui have recognized the interesting properties of ammolite, and recommend the gemstone as a positive influence in both home and business environments.  Because ammolite was formed from the spiral shell of the original ammonite fossil, it mimics the path that the universe’s energy (Qi, pronounced "Chi") follows in outer space.  It then releases this energy in every color of visible light, promoting the flow of Qi through the bodies of humans around it.  The best combination of colors is ruby crimson, emerald green and amber yellow, because these colors together in an ammolite stone will enhance health, enlightenment, and of course good fortune.  

Care of Ammolite

If you are fortunate enough to own ammolite jewelry, you should care for it in the same way you would care for pearls.  Never use ultrasonic or steam cleaners; mild soap or commercial pearl cleaners are best.  Ammolite should not be subjected to heat, acids, perfume or hairsprays, all of which can cause damage or loss of color.

References:

http://www.gemsociety.org/info/gems/ammolite.htm  "Ammolite, The Rarest Gemstone on Earth"  
http://www.darlin-jewellers.com/originpg.html   "Ammolite Origin"
http://www.darlin-jewellers.com/iniskim.html  "The First Iniskim"
http://www.canadafossils.com/fengshui.html  "Feng Shui, Ammonites and Ammolite"