Ammolite

A rainbow of colour

This specimen clearly shows the 'scales' effect.

A recently acknowledged (within the last 50 years) gemstone from metamorphosed ammonite fossils.

The fossil has taken on the appearance of a butterfly wing, with hundreds of tiny luminous scales.

This gemstone was first described in 1969 and officially recognised as a gem in 1981.

With a formation similar to that of pearl, as layers of aragonite build up the irridescence.