The story of Ammolite begins over 65 million years ago during
the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs ruled the earth, pterosaurs glided overhead in the skies, and the oceans teamed with an enormous variety of aquatic life. Accompanied by tropical climates, the continents were evolving into the shapes and global positions we are familiar with today. During this time the interior of North America was partially submerged under the warm shallow Bearpaw Sea which bordered the developing Rocky Mountains. Today part of this region is south eastern Alberta, Canada.
Living in the Bearpaw Sea
were many exotic creatures like plesiosaurs which "flew" through
the water like penguins as they diligently fished the shallow waters. In
addition to such "monsters" were ancestors of modern sea life
such as sharks and turtles. One such ancestor were the ammonites, the predescesor
to squids and the south Pacific nautilus.
Ammonites were squid-like creatures with coiled shells containing gas filled chambers which provided bouyancy. Like modern squids and nautiluses, they propelled themselves through the water with a "jet" and when threatened, clouded the water with ink during their escapes. Ammonites needed such speed and defense as they were favored as a delicacy by mosasaurs, another predacious marine reptile.
Sinking
it's peg-like teeth into the coiled shell, a ravenous mosasaur would extract
the ammonites squid-shaped body and devour it, discarding the empty shell
which then sank to the sea floor. This is where fortunate circumstances
came together to create specific conditions for the next step in the birth
of a gemstone.
Settling on the sea bottom, the empty ammonite shell was buried in mineral-rich sediment carried there by rivers and streams from the young Rocky Mountains. During the fossilization process the sediment not only preserved the shell but also enhanced the shell's colors into iridescent greens, reds, yellows, and rare blues and violets. In 1981, the International Colored Gemstone Commission (ICGC) recognized this new organic gemstone as Ammolite. With finite supply in a very specific area and only one in a hundred of the preserved shells yielding few gemstones, Ammolite is the rarest gemstone in the world!
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