The towering world of gemstones is full of umpteen breathtaking wonders. The more you dive deep into the gigantic and spectacular world of stones, the more you find something ingenious, jaw-dropping, and feral. Out of all the visually stunning and organic gemstones, Ammolite stone stands apart from the pack because of a myriad of reasons that we will state in the upcoming sections of the blog. Let’s get to know everything about the mighty Ammolite stone from scratch to end.
What is Ammolite Stone?:-
Ammolite is an Opal Stone resembling and one of the most vivacious organic stones found principally in the easter slopes of rocky mountains of North America. This eye-pleasing gemstone is fabled around the world for its iridescence effect ( showing all spectral colors when light reflects from different angles) and can give some serious competition to opal and labradorite when it comes to beauty and intensity.
Ammolite stones originate from disk-shaped ammonite fossils whose existence dates back to 70 million years and formed under immense Tectonic pressure and heat. Later, ammolite gemstones are cut down skillfully so that they can luminate and reflect different colors in an exquisite manner.
Not many people know that Ammolite stone got its official gemstone status from the world jewelry confederation at a convention in Alberta city in 2007. Moreover, apart from pearl and amber, it is one of the rarest biogenic gemstones in existence. One of the finest quality natural ammolite stones comes from high-energy river systems on the humongous easter slopes of Alberta city.
Ammolite Chemical Composition and Physical Properties:-
Before we know about the awe-inspiring and miraculous healing properties and other benefits of original ammolite stone, it would be subtle to get familiar first with the chemical composition and other significant physical properties of Ammolite gemstone to understand the quintessence of this stone in its quality.
Ammolite primarily comprises silica, pyrite, and calcite as major formation components. Apart from these compounds, its shell can also enclose a number of other elements like vanadium, chromium, barium, aluminum, magnesium, iron, calcium, strontium, and titanium.
If we talk about the hardness of Ammolite stones, they are less brittle compared to other organic and biogenic stones. On the Mohs scale, Ammolite hardness lies between 3.5 - 4.5. Ammolite doesn’t possess a pleochroism effect but can exhibit any color in the rainbow range. However, the less vibrant colors are not as clearly visible in the low-grade ammolite stones.
When it comes to color, red and green color ammolite are mundane in existence. But, gold, violet, and crimson hues of ammolite gemstone are always high in demand in the market.
Out of all the physical properties, iridescence is probably the most striking aspect of ammolite and this effect prevails because of the microstructure of aragonite. Unlike other gemstones, which exhibit colors because of the absorption of light, ammolites iridescence come from the rebound of light from the different stacked layers in the internal structure. While the thicker layers display red and green colors, the thinner layers exhibit blue and violet colors predominantly.
How to Measure Ammolite Stone Quality?:-
Like other gemstones, Ammolite gemstone quality is heavily influenced by the vital 4C’s (color, clarity, cut, carat weight, and original of the stone also play a vital role).
The exact quality of Ammolite stone is measured by a simplistic letter grading system, from the highest quality to the lowest quality, AA; A+; A; and A−. However, the major drawback of this letter grading system is it is yet to be standardized and most authentic vendors still consider the color, brightness, weight, and treatment as valid parameters to determine an ammolite stone quality. The most sought after ammolites are usually bright in appearance and enclose minimal to no inclusions.
Thickness is also a crucial factor in determining ammolite gemstone quality. The most precious ammolite stones are thick enough to stand apart from the pack, however, treatment and polishing reduce the thickness significantly which ultimately dwindles the stone quality to a great extent.
The Meaning of Ammolite Stone:-
Different civilizations, cultures, and astrologers interpret the meaning of ammolite in their own ways. Ammolite is considered a highly potent stone with paramount astrological, metaphysical, and healing benefits. Each color of ammolite carries its own significance and comes with numerous power.
1. Red Color Ammolite:
This color is supposed to boost up your suppressed energy level and stimulate growth.