Ammolite pendant drilled

Ammolite pendant drilled

Size about 4.5 x 3 cm

You buy exactly this pictured ammolite pendant

Ammolite is a rare opalescent gemstone.
It is found mainly on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and consists of the fossil remains of ammonites.
Ammolite is also sold under the trade names Calcentine or Korite.
In the languages of the native Blackfoot Indian tribes there, the stone is called Aapoak (small, creeping stone in the Kainai language because of the play of color)
or Iniskim ("buffalo stone").

Ammolite consists mainly of aragonite, which comes directly from the original nacre in the shells of the ammonites.
Besides aragonite, calcite, quartzite, pyrite and other minerals occur in variable proportions.

Due to the layered structure of the aragonite preserved from the original nacre, an opalescence shows up.
This is caused by interference in thin layers, like in soap bubbles or oil stains, not by an intrinsic color or light refraction.
The color depends on the thickness of the layer: thick layers yield red and green interference colors, thin layers also yield blue and yellow tones.

Like the original shell, ammolite is present only in a very thin (0.5-0.8 mm) layer,
this is usually on a gray-brown matrix of shale, calcareous marl, or limestone.
The rock was compressed by overlying sediment layers, therefore the ammonites are mostly crushed,
so that countless cracks form in the thin layer.
This crack texture is sometimes described as dragon skin or stained glass window-like.
Ammolite from deeper layers may also be completely smooth or show a ripple-like surface.

Origin: Madagascar

Fun to Know: Hardly any ammolite is of such high quality that they would not require any treatment other than cutting and polishing.
Most stones are impregnated for stabilization before cutting so that the delicate ammolite layer does not flake off.
This helps prevent the formation of new cracks. In addition, the coating is a protection against scratching.
Excerpt from Wikipedia

Ammolite stands for harmony, dignity and splendor, for a sense of beauty, seductive appeal and attraction,
Ammolite is said to arouse interest in secrets and dissolve mental fixations