Learning About the Influential Ammolite Gemstone

In our series about different types of gemstones we are bringing to you an interesting piece that is one you may not have heard of before. The beautiful Ammolite gemstone is quite rare and often times you can only find Ammolite jewelry in high-end jewelry stores or stores that typically carry jewelry made with rare gemstones.

Ammolite is a valuable opal-like organic gemstone found primarily along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of North America. It is made of the fossilized shells of ammonites, which in turn are composed primarily of aragonite, the same mineral that makes up nacreous pearls. Ammolite did not begin to garner interest in Western society until the 1970s.

The main attraction to this gemstone is its play on light and its rainbow of colors is similar to what you would typically see in an Opal gemstone, although the color tones & hues in Ammolite are deeper and richer in appearance. Its main colors reflect red and green tones primarily and it has a beautiful iridescent look to the stone that is quite unique.

In the late 1990s, practitioners of Feng Shui, began to promote Ammolite as an "influential" stone with what they believe is the power to enhance well-being and detoxify the body by improving its flow of energy or "chi". Named the "Seven Color Prosperity Stone", each color is believed by Feng Shui practitioners to influence the wearer in different and positive ways; a combination of ruby red, emerald green and amber yellow is most sought after for this purpose, the colors being said to enhance growth, wisdom, and wealth, respectively.

Care Tips

This is a very soft gemstone so any jewelry you purchase needs to be handled with care as it only comes in at about a 4 on the gemstone hardness scale. You never want to wear your Ammolite jewelry while cleaning, swimming, bathing, showering or while washing your hands as it needs to be protected from water.

Your jewelry pieces should never be stored in direct sunlight, extreme heat, and extreme cold or in moisture-rich environments. Store is in a lined jewelry chest separately from other jewelry pieces. If you Ammolite jewelry needs to be cleaned you should just wipe it down with a slightly damp soft cotton cloth. If you find that it needs a more heavy duty cleaning then its best to let a jeweler handle this for you.

If you have the opportunity to see the beautiful Ammolite gemstone, you will see its lovely beauty. Any jewelry piece that is set using this stone will certainly be a unique and amazing piece.

by Jasmine Yesak, Contributing Editor at ChasingTreasure.com, online retailer of quality jewelry boxes, jewelry organizers and watch boxes. Jasmine is a Jewelry Enthusiast and Organization Consultant, she writes about Jewelry Care and Jewelry Storage Tips.