The Ammolite Book

The "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ammolite" book!

Once we started to find Ammolite in Utah, we were extremely excited - after all, we knew it was very valuable... but as many rock hounds know, finding the stone can be just the beginning of the process.  (Even diamonds aren't nearly as valuable raw as they are once they are cut.) 

However, unlike processing other gem stones, there was virtually NO information available about what to do with Ammolite once you found it (or bought it).  Nothing on how to separate the shell from the host rock, how to harden and protect the shell, nor how to make it into jewelry.  It is such a new stone on the market, there just wasn't anything published yet.

Fortunately for the rest of us, Gale played "mad scientist" in his basement and kitchen, and through trial and error, and lots of experimenting, came up with the best ways to process Ammolite.  (He even found out it is very similar to the processes the large Ammolite producers use - he's just broken it down and made it simple for people like us to do at home.)  And better yet - he wrote it all down for us to have access to it!

Go to one of our websites to purchase the book on sale!

  US Ammolite   or   Utah Seafire Gems

 

Ammolite - the Christmas Stone

Utah Ammolite Stones

When I look at Ammolite stones, I can't help but smile.  The colors are just amazing and breath taking.  Being that I've spent hundreds of hours searching, finding, tumbling, trimming, grinding, and polishing all types of gemstones, I feel safe in calling Ammolite the true "Christmas Stone".  

It isn't that Ammolite has any history that ties it to Christmas....it's just that it has those deep and brilliant Christmas colors!  Deep Jade Green,  Candy Apple Red, Golden Yellow, and Bright Orange.  (Indigo Blue and Royal Purple are seen as well - but these are fairly rare in Utah Ammolite.)  And as has been explained before, when you tip and tilt the Ammolite, it is common for the color to chromatically shift from red to green, from green to yellow, and yellow to orange.  It's almost like watching a fire or candle flame as the various colors ignite and dance across the face of the stone.  The brilliant glow seeming to come from deep within the stone and projecting outward beyond the crystal boundaries.  I can't wear my rings, earrings, or pendants without having several people a day ask me what kind of stone it is and where I bought it.

Of course I love being able to tell the story of finding the raw stones and then creating the finished jewelry piece - but I have repeat customers who tell me how much they enjoy telling people about their pieces of Ammolite as well. 

If you want something unique for Christmas, buy your loved one (or yourself) a rare and beautiful gift - Utah Ammolite!

Follow these links to find your unique piece of USA Ammolite:  Utah Seafire Gems or USAmmolite.com. 

Our USAmmolite.com site has everything on sale from now until Christmas!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

What Is Ammolite?

Nautilus

When people see Ammolite for the first time, they often mistake it for other stones.  I am often asked if it is fire opal, fire agate, or a type of specialized glass.  I have to smile - because it does and can look similar to all those different items.

Ammolite Fossil

But Ammolite is none of these.  It is actually the fossilized shell of an ancient sea animal that lived back during the dinosaur times (75-130 million years ago) called ammonites.  These ancient sea creatures resembled today's nautilus, with the exception that today's nautilus have very plain shells, whereas the ammonites of old had very brightly colored shells (or they became very bright during the fossilization process).

Ammolite:  fossilized shell that is considered a precious gemstone (like pearls or amber).

Ammonite:  the sea animal that lived back with the dinosaurs that created the ammolite shell.  
 

There are three main types of ammonites that fossilized to create Ammolite:  disk-shaped ammonites Placenticeras meeki and Placenticeras intercalare, and (to a lesser degree) the cylindrical baculite, Baculites compressus. 

Ammonites were cephalopods, or squid-like creatures, that thrived in tropical seas from the upper Cretaceous period until becoming extinct along with the dinosaurs at the end of the Mesozoic era.

Western Interior Seaway

Although varies species of ammonites lived all over the world, and their fossils can be found everywhere, the specific species that give us Ammolite lived within the Cretaceous or Western Interior Seaway.  Millions of years later, that seaway is long gone, and erosion has brought these fossils up to the surface.

The largest deposits of Ammolite have been found in Canada.  But other smaller deposits have been found in Montana, Utah, and North Dakota.  A small company in Utah has filed a claim and surface mined generous supply of Ammolite.  You can visit their website to get USA Ammolite at much lower prices than that being sold from Canada.  www.UtahSeafireGems.com

Ammolite Quality

How do you know if what you are looking at is really a high quality Ammolite stone?

That's a great question!  Unlike other gemstones, Ammolite quality is not based on the 4 C's (color, clarity, cut, and carat/size).  Although there are some similarities.

Color characteristics:  it is important to know that one of the basic characteristics of Ammolite is that it can have what is called a chromatic shift of color as it is turned or tipped in the light.  Reds will change to greens, yellows to orange, and greens to blues and purples.  (In this way, it is very similar to looking at high grade / broad flash opal - where the colors change as the stone is tipped or turned.)

Another characteristic of this fossilized stone is that it can have a shattered look to it.  This is commonly called "dragon scales".  It is absolutely gorgeous!  But this is a matter of preference - some customers really like this look while others prefer the more solid look. 

Multiple Colors:  Although the colors can shift, a stone is more valuable if it shows multiple colors at a time (like bands or stripes of several colors).  However, I have discovered that this aspect of value greatly depends on the individual who is purchasing the piece.  While the standard of quality may say that multiple colors defines a higher quality stone, many people prefer a stone that is a solid single color.  Ruby red and emerald green stones seem to be the most popular single color stones.  (Customers also really like blues, but blue Ammolite is very rare in the Utah deposits, so very few of those have been sold.)

Amount of gemstone vs. host rock:  high quality stones have the Ammolite shell solid across the entire surface.  Lower quality stones have portions where the host rock shows through - so there are places where the bright Ammolite color is missing or absent.  One thing a few artists will do is use smaller pieces of Ammolite and create a mosaic of color on a host stone.  These can be absolutely beautiful pieces, but they are less valuable than a solid piece of Ammolite of the same size.  

Size:  As with other gemstones, the larger the piece of Ammolite the greater the value.  But again, this is tempered by the amount of gemstone vs. the host rock.

Being that Ammolite is a fossil, each piece is unique and if they are from the USA, they are also extremely rare.  But when making a purchasing decision, regardless of what the "rules" may say, the most important thing is that you buy something that you really like and enjoy! 

 Find out more at UtahSeafireGems.com.

Introduction

My name is Becky Thorne. You'll see my company bio below - and I can't change that because it is tied to my work webpage. However, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about myself as a self-made expert on USA-Ammolite.

My cousin Gale and I have been rock-hounders for years - finding gemstones all over the state of Utah - garnets, topaz, sun-stone, red burrell, morganite, quartz, flourite, and on and on - as Utah has a great geographic history. It's not only igneous rocks that can be found - but being that Utah was once covered with an ancient seaway and later with great lakes, it is also very common to a great variety of plant and animal fossils. (Needless to say - Utah is a rock-hounder's mecca!)

Gale and I grew up in the Salt Lake City area and obtained our appreciation for rocks from our great uncle George. He was a rock-hounder himself, and helped to found the museum in Price, Utah.

If you had asked us what Ammolite was 6 years ago, we couldn't have told you. But since that time, we were introduced to it, shown a place where it could be found, and filed a mining claim so we could legally gather and sell it. It was fun to find it - it's like finding a treasure.

But then we ran into a BIG challenge - on how to take the raw stone and process it into a finished gemstone. It took Gale about 18 months of research and playing mad scientist in his basement to figure out the best processes and materials to use. (I can tease him about being a "mad scientist" - because in real life he is a near genius scientist....me - not so much.)

We've now figured it out and begun making beautiful stones and jewelry pieces that can be purchased and treasured. Gale has even written a book about it.

You can find our stuff at www.UtahSeafireGems.com, or at http://www.etsy.com/shop/USAmmolite?ref=pr_shop .

We'd love to hear from you what you think - or if you have questions please feel free to ask.

Becky

Ammolite in the USA

Hello everyone - if you are looking for ammolite but can't believe how expensive this stone can be from the Canadian sources - you need to consider purchasing from providers in the USA.

The same ancient seaway that deposited the Ammolite in Canada ran through the USA, and there are several small pockets where Ammolite can be found across the western states.

A small company in Salt Lake City, called Utah Seafire Gems has filed a mining claim and has surface collected a lot of these amazing gem stones out of central Utah.

If you are looking for Ammolite - you should consider visiting www.UtahSeafireGems.com or http://www.etsy.com/shop/USAmmolite?ref=seller_info.

The company offers finished jewelry set in sterling silver, raw stones for the do it yourself-ers, or processed stones for craftsmen who want to make their own finished pieces.