Ammolite Triplets for Jewelry.

What is an ammolite triplet?

An ammolite triplet is a sandwich of three parts creating a durable gem using the gem itself as the central layer.This central layer is cemented to a hard backing material and the top is covered with a clear protective layer often made of quartz or spinel but occasionally of inferior materials such as crystal or plain old glass.

Many buyers are completely unaware of how their triplet has been created.

I recommend buying only the quartz or spinel varieties as those who create fine triplets use only the finest materials.

An ammolite triplet,while not the highest form of ammolite,was created for use in jewelry because natural ammolite is unsuitable for some items,particularly rings,due to the natural gems inherent fragility.

Ammolite triplets should be cared for gently as they can be damaged by exessive exposure to water which can cause separation of the layers and destruction of the triplet.Cleaning should be done occasionally with a damp cloth--never an ultrasonic cleaner.

Many triplets are destroyed by setters who do not understand the gem and put too much pressure on the prongs holding the gem.This can also cause delamination and destruction of the gem.I learned this painfully when I first started setting triplets and have even seen experienced jewellers unfamiliar with ammolite triplet characteristics destroy them.

Ammolite triplets made with fine quality ammolite are extraordinarily beautiful gems and in their best form are commanding ever increasing prices.It is common for triplets to sell for more than $1 per square millimeter.Thus an unset 15x20mm stone of good quality often  retails for more than $300.

Ammolite fanciers in the know look for triplets with at least three good colours and in my case, I collect those and go one step further.

I particularly collect gems that have that "something extra",perhaps a rare colour,a rare combination of colours or a rare colour pattern.I look for pinks and purples as part of the colour palette as they are the rarest and often have unusual set jewelry you can see containing ammolite gem stones with these rare qualities in my Ebay Shop  http://stores.ebay.ca/Ammolite-Gems-And-Jewelry

Here is an image of a gorgeous set triplet set in gold and topped with a diamond accent.
Note that it has 'that something extra"---a bright note of hot pink!

Ammolite.Different Forms.The Natural Gemstone.

Since the time some decades back when ammolite was accepted as a gemstone there have many different forms of it presented to the market and each has developed its own following.

Producers and experts agree that the most desirable and valuable form of ammolite is the natural stone.

This is the natural stone on its own matrix.

In this form the ammolite gem is stabilized chemically to harden and preserve it and then it undergoes a laborious polishing ro the point that is has a glass like finish.No epoxy is applied to it.

This form of ammolite makes fine collectors specimens and if set correctly also make fine jewelry.

It is also by far the most expensive form of ammolite.

You will most often find these gems in non callibrated shapes and sizes and are usually set by a craftsman as a one of a kind piece of jewelry.

Natural gems need to be set in a protective way with protection for the edges to prevent chipping.

Care is required for these stones as they are brittle, so dropping one on a hard surface can shatter it like glass.

With proper care these gems will last a lifetime and their beauty is unmatched.

Here is an image of a top grade Imperial Nipplite top grade gemstone in my collection.Gems like this one sell for $1800 and up.

Ammolite and Feng Shui

One of the largest demands on the Ammolite supply comes from Asia where buyers value the stone for its beauty but increasingly also because of its Feng Shui properties




"The most important gemstone of the millenium."Feng Shui Master
Edward Kui Ming Li


Feng Shui masters have named Ammolite:   “The Seven Colour Prosperity Stone”.


“It has been buried for the past 71 million years absorbing a substantial amount of both the Earth’s and the universe’s positive cosmic energy. It radiates this energy in every colour of the visible spectrum enhancing well-being and reducing the body’s toxicity of those that own it”

Feng Shui Master

Edward Kui Ming Li


Each colour represents a different meaning:


Crimson stimulates growth and energy; Orange generates creativity, and increased libido; Green improves wisdom, intellect and promotes entreprenerialship; Yellow improves wealth; and Blue promotes peace and health.


Feng Shui practitioners believe that:

“Not only does it bring balance to a person’s body, but also to a person’s surroundings. When it is worn or when the stone is placed in the home, it promotes a happy family, and when it is placed in the office, it promotes good business dealings. In essence, anyone who finds or possesses Ammolite is entitled to wondrous prosperity and good fortune."


Don’t believe in Feng Shui? ----That’s OK! ----- Many own Ammolite just for it’s rarity and beauty!


Some folks are creating Ammolite collections for investment purposes against the fact that Ammolite is becoming a rarer commodity every day.


Once current supplies are depleted, no commercially viable deposits are known to exist.


This situation is believed to be why prices of quality Ammolite have risen so dramatically over the last decade.

Ammolite---The Story.

AMMOLITE FROM CANADA


THE RAREST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL GEM ON THE PLANET.

Once upon eons ago, North America did not exist as we know it today. Instead there was a mighty sea that cut most of modern North America in half, north to south.

In this mighty sea roamed the ancient Ammonite, a squid like creature that lived in a shell shaped much like a ram’s horn.

Records show that this creature lived from 100 million years ago until about 70 million years ago at which time some cataclysmic event caused their extinction. The mighty inland sea bed was littered with the shells of ammonites which were gradually covered by sediments and then subjected to all the pressures that deeply buried materials go through in the process of forming rock and fossils.

Now, the Ammonite was living all over the world prior to its extinction and much of it would be preserved as rather dull coloured fossils and would be unearthed as such in many spots on the globe.

In one tiny spot on the globe, in Canada, in the province of Alberta within sight of the majestic Rockies and just north of the Montana border, there was something special about the Ammonites slumbering in the shale along the St Mary River. Nature had, with the help of just the perfect combinations of pressure, heat, time and minerals, created the most rare and amazingly beautiful precious stone in the world.

These ammonites had fossilized and become one with their host shale rock host to create the most colourful and varied gem material on the planet.

And only in this small spot.

Mankind had discovered the stone earlier on as ancient aboriginal legends tells of how the stone had mighty hunting medicine associated with it. Ancient hunters added it to their talismans to ensure that they could locate and successfully hunt buffalo.

The beauty of the stone was remarked on by early explorers but it wasn’t until the 1980’s that local Alberta entrepreneurs realized that this stone was of gem quality and efforts got under way to mine and process it as actual gem stones for jewelry. In 1981 the gem was recognized as such by the CIBjO [Coloured Stones Commission] and in 1985 by the province of Alberta as its official gemstone.

The world’s rarest and most colourful gemstone had arrived and it was to be known as Ammolite.

Today there are just two recognized and legal gem mining companies in operation, both of which produce fine gem stones. There are also fine stones produced by a small group of others who have legal claims operating in the gem zone although their production is quite small.

Ammolite is mined by small open pit mining digs where the material is unearthed and sorted. Most of the material is unusable as gem material and only a small fraction of that makes it to the cutting tables.

Ammolite is said to be in very short supply and once the material along the St.Mary area is exhausted, there is no other known commercially viable gem quality material deposits known to exist.

This limited supply has created upward pressure on prices. The main producer, Korite international reports that Ammolite prices have increased by 250% in the last 10 years to 2008

Ammolite has a curious effect on humans the first time they see it and only a small fraction of humanity has seen it so far. Many just have to possess it! Few can ignore it!