Ammolite is a rare and unusual substance that is a fossilized form of the mineral aragonite. Ammolite comes from the ammonite fossil. Ammonite fossils are ancient shells that inhabited a shallow sea that covered southern Alberta, Canada between 70 and 135 million years ago. It is a multi-color organic gemstone that comes in green, red, yellow, orange and more rarely in blue and purple. The best ammolite stone will have very bright colors. The brighter and more lively a stone, the better. Blue and purple are the rarer of the colors but they are often very dark. Bright colors are highly sought after, whether the ammolite is found in single colors or mixed colors. Ammolite may be found in many beautiful patterns and color combinations, each piece is unique. Ammonite shells are found all over the world, but southern Alberta is the only place in the world where the shells fossilize into the bright colors. Only 5% of ammonites in southern Alberta have "ammolite" color, and only a small percentage of these are suitable to be made into jewellery. Ammonites may be found close to the surface, in river banks and up to seventy-five feet underground. The Blackfoot First Nations of Canada called ammolite “iniskim” (I-nis’kim) or buffalo stone. Ammolite is also an important stone in Feng Shui, as practitioners believe the ammolite has absorbed cosmic energy for over 70 million years. Ammolite is now the official gemstone of Alberta and unfortunately the mines are beginning to run dry, meaning this is now a very collectable stone.
