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Ammolite: A Gem of a Fossil
The story of Ammolite begins over 65 million years ago during the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs ruled the earth, pterosaurs glided overhead in the skies, and the oceans teamed with an enormous variety of aquatic life. During this time the interior of North America was partially submerged under the warm shallow Bearpaw Sea (what we now know as Alberta Canada) which bordered the developing Rocky Mountains. Living in the Bearpaw Sea were many exotic creatures like plesiosaurs which "flew" through the water like penguins as they diligently fished the shallow waters. In addition to such "monsters" were ancestors of modern sea life such as sharks and turtles. One such ancestor were the ammonites, the predecessor to squids and the south Pacific nautilus. Ammonites were squid-like creatures with coiled shells containing gas filled chambers which provided buoyancy. Like modern squids and nautiluses, they propelled themselves through the water with a "jet" and when threatened, clouded the water with ink during their escapes. Ammonites needed such speed and defense as they were favored as a delicacy by mosasaurs, another predacious marine reptile. Sinking it's peg-like teeth into the coiled shell, a ravenous mosasaur would extract the ammonites squid-shaped body and devour it, discarding the empty shell which then sank to the sea floor. This is where fortunate circumstances came together to create specific conditions for the next step in the birth of a gemstone. Settling on the sea bottom, the empty ammonite shell was buried in mineral-rich sediment carried there by rivers and streams from the young Rocky Mountains. During the fossilization process the sediment not only preserved the shell but also enhanced the shell's colors into iridescent greens, reds, yellows, and rare blues and violets. In 1981, the International Colored Gemstone Commission (ICGC) recognized this new organic gemstone as Ammolite. With finite supply in a very specific area and only one in a hundred of the preserved shells yielding few gemstones, Ammolite is the rarest gemstone in the world! The Ammolite Mine: Production of ammolite is limited by the low recovery rate and the size of the operation. In 1987 Korite Mining recovered 43 kilos of ammolite from 45 metric tons of material, which in turn were gleaned from 20,000 metric tons of shale and earth. Only about one out of 100 ammonite specimens are usable as ammolite. The rest, over the tens of millions of years, became crushed and calcified. It is only the few that the shale layer somehow protected, mineralized, and transformed that will be sold as the gemstone material. Korite's operation is a pit mine approximately 25 feet deep, located on Korite's 6,000 leased acres. Due to government environmental regulations, Korite can only operate one pit at a time, and must fill in each pit and replenish the topsoil when they are through. The size of Korite's operation assures that large quantities of ammolite will not be in the market in the near future. A slow but steady production is anticipated at Korite, and will continue until the shale layer is depleted of ammolite, which it surely will be at some time. Although the supply of ammolite in the Lethbridge area is finite, it is estimated that the supply will last a minimum of 60 years at the current and projected production levels. Ammolite fossils can be found in museums around the world. The fossils can be as large as 6 feet in diameter, but the ones that yield the best ammolite usually have a diameter of less than 20 inches. Major Buyers of Ammolite: Rene Vandervelde, president of Korite Mining, says Japan is the primary market for this unusual gem. He attributes this fact to the large number of Japanese who vacation in the Canadian Rockies and Banff. Korite's secondary markets include Canada and the southern and mid-western United States Specifications:
Care & Maintenance: Because ammolite is not very hard it must be treated carefully, much like pearl or opal. In the event that it becomes dull, it can be repolished by simple buffing by a qualified jeweler . A soap solution is the recommended method of cleaning. ****Portions of the above article were authored by Darryl Darby. If you would like to see pictures of Ammolite Jewelry click here.****
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