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 |
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Locations: |
Canada,
USA |
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Colors
Found: |
Various |
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Family: |
Organics |
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Hardness: |
5.00
- 6.00 |
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Refractive Index: |
1.52
- 1.67 |
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Relative Density: |
2.80 |
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Rarer than
Diamond, Ammolite is the fossilized remains of a squid-like creature
called an Ammonite that used jet propulsion to travel over 65 million
years ago. From the Palaeozoic era to the end of the cretaceous era,
Ammonites jetted around the world’s oceans preying on smaller forms of
marine life. For nearly 330 million years, they were abundant in all
of the oceans until they suddenly became extinct, around the same time
as the demise of the dinosaurs.
Ammolite is named after “ammon”, the ancient Egyptian god of life and
reproduction, because the shell of the Ammonite is similar in
appearance to the ram-headed deity’s horns. For a similar reason
(along with a legend of prosperity), the Blackfoot Tribe of North
America knows Ammolite as the “buffalo stone”.
The legend of Ammolite
goes back to the Blackfoot tribe of North America. The story begins
amidst a severely harsh winter with a blizzard wiping out all the
Blackfoot Indians’ food reserves. Upon seeing the devastation that
befell the Blackfoot people, the Great Goddess sent forth a message to
an Indian princess. In the dream, the Goddess directed the princess to
a brilliantly colored gemstone, and told her “take this stone back to
your tribe, for its magic will bring with it a huge herd of buffalo
that will sustain you through the winter”. After days of perilous
travel, she found the gem hidden in a cave. With sunlight dancing off
of its rainbow colored skin, it was truly magnificent. The next day
everyone was woken up by the sound of stomping hooves. When coming
outside, the tribe found that a herd of buffalo had returned to
pasture nearby. The people rejoiced at their salvation, and thanked
the Goddess for her gift. Through the aid of Ammolite, the Blackfoot
were able to survive and ever since, Ammolite has been commonly
referred to as the “buffalo stone”, signifying wealth and abundance.
Ammonite fossils are found
on every continent but it is those found in and around Alberta, Canada
that display the most vivid colors and are treasured as gems. In 1908 a
member of the National Geological Survey team found mineralized fossils of
Ammonite along the St. Mary's River in Alberta. It was not until 1981 that
enough high quality Ammolite was discovered to make mining commercially
viable. CIBJO (International Jewelry Confederation) officially recognized
Ammolite as a gemstone in 1981.
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