Other Names
Calcentine, Korite, Buffalo Stone
Associations
Deity: Ammon
Sabbat: Yule
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire, Earth
Zodiac: Taurus, Leo
Chakra: Third Eye
Description
Ammolite is an incredibly striking organic gemstone, formed from the mineral aragonite in the fossilised shells of ammonites. It is an iridescent gem, whose colour can range throughout the spectrum, but is most often found in shades of red and green. Under ultraviolent light Ammolite may show a yellow fluorescence.
As Ammolite usually forms in thin layers, it is often found with cracks covering its surface, an appearence nicknamed ‘dragon skin’ and it’s easy to see why. It can also appear with ‘waves’ on the surface, or it can be completely smooth. Very rarely is a whole ammonite shell found with aragonite still preserved. Ammolite is extremely delicate and has a Moh’s rating of 3.5 to 4.
About
Ammolite is the rarest gemstone in the world; rarer than Alexandrite or Red Diamonds. It is found mainly on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, and the largest producer is the mining company Korite International which is based in Alberta, from which Ammolite takes one of its alternate names.
The ammonites which eventually formed Ammolite lived roughly 65 to 70 million years ago, and were a predecessor to the modern sea creature the nautilus. They lived in an inland, subtropical sea, bordering the Rocky Mountains, but as the seas receeded they became buried in bentonite sediment and fossilised, the sediment protecting the aragonite in their shells.
Ammonites themselves were named for the Egyptia God Ammon, as their spiral shape is reminiscent of the ram’s spiral horn associated with him.
Health
Practitioners of Feng Shui believe that Ammolite has a beneficial effect on the chi – or energy flow – of the body, and it can help cleanse and detoxify.
Magic
Use Ammolite for vivid and prophetical visions, and to attract wealth and abundance. It is also said to bring luck, and is useful in healing, particularly in medicine bundles. Because of its origins, Ammolite is also useful in work relating to longevity, protection and past-lives.
Legend & Lore
In Feng Shui they believe that the stone has absorbed cosmic energy from the universe, and that benefits are gained by anyone near it. Also in Feng Shui, Ammolite is known as the Seven Colour Prosperity Stone, and wearing a specimen which shows the full colour range from ruby red through emerald green to amber yellow is thought to bring the wearer growth, wisdom and wealth. Pliny the Elder thought Ammolite to be a most holy stone which would bring prophetical dreams.
Native American Indians call it the Buffalo Stone, and the legend associated with it says that the Blackfoot tribe of North America were suffering a particularly harsh winter, when the Indian princess recieved a message from the Goddess in the form of a dream. In this dream the Goddess directed the princess to an Ammolite stone and told her to take it back to her tribe, for its magic would bring a herd of buffalo with it. On awaking the princess set out and eventually found the stone and duly took it home. The next morning there arrived a huge herd of buffalo, enough to sustain the Blackfoot through the winter.