FINE DOUBLE AMMONITE WALL PLAQUE. ...

Description

FINE DOUBLE AMMONITE WALL PLAQUE
Placenticeras meeki
Cretaceous
Bearpaw Formation, Southern Alberta, Canada
Gem ammolite ammonites are amongst the most sought-after of all fossils, and here are not one but two examples. In most localities the aragonite-rich nacre (mother-of-pearl) of the ammonite's shell is pseudomorphously replaced by calcite or pyrite, but in the small Bearpaw formation, stretching over parts of Montana, Alberta and Saskatchewan along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the ammonite's shell becomes tainted with trace elements such as manganese, strontium, titanium, barium and others, manifested in the dazzling colors displayed here. The resulting gemstone is called ammolite, and it has long been believed by the local Blackfeet Indians of Montana and the Káínawa of southern Alberta to have amuletic powers of use in healing and in attracting buffalo. Practitioners of feng shui and crystal metaphysics value it as the Kirin stone or seven-color prosperity stone, and believe it to be useful in detoxifying the body and promoting energy flow and prosperity. In 1981 it was accorded gemstone status by the World Jewelry Confederation; it is one of several biogenic gemstones, like amber and pearl, and can be grouped with other shell-based marbles such as lumachella, or "fire marble", formed from the fossilized shells of clams or snails. The present specimens are particularly fine for not only do they flash with the familiar golden green color; they also display an equal amount of the much rarer purple and blue coloring. Stunning examples, they measure 9¼ and 6 1/8 inches in diameter, perfectly offset by the gray shale matrix that measures 30 x 27 inches and is ready for wall-hanging.

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