Description
Pyritized, fossilized ammonite with a faceted Brazilian aquamarine accent, set in adjustable sterling silver prong setting. The “face” of this amazing pyritized ammonite has been polished off to reveal its spectacular, sparkling inner chambers! This unique ring is from our very own Geoclassics jewelry line!
Dimensions of ammonite: (15.2 mm – tall) x (12.4 mm – wide) x (8.25 mm – rise from band)
Weight: 4.8 grams
Ring Size: Adjustable
AMMONITE—Some 350 million years ago, these relatives of the modern chambered nautilus shell flourished in warm, shallow seas. When great droughts led to their extinction about 65 million years ago, they were buried by layers of sediment from land erosions. It took many years for the shells of these ammonites to fossilize, a process by which the original shell material was replaced by the minerals in the sediment that buried them. While some of the earliest ammonites resembled long, straight chambered cones, most of them were coiled discs with complex patterns of ridges and suture lines. The suture pattern, important to species identification, shows where the inner chamber walls meet the outer shell. The animal that once lived in this shell resided near the entrance in the largest chamber.
Genus / Species: Kosmoceras sp.
Age: middle jurassic / callovian (approximately 160 million years old)
Location: Mikhaylov, Ryazan Oblast, Russia
AQUAMARINE is the blue or blue-green variety of beryl, (beryl aluminum silicate), with a hardness of 7.5 to 8. History records its first use in Greece between 300 and 500BC. Its name is derived from Latin, meaning “water of the sea.” In ancient lore, aquamarine was believed to be treasured by mermaids, and was used as a talisman to bring good luck, fearlessness, and protection to sailors. Aquamarine is thought to be good for calming and cooling, everything from hot flashes to anger. The birthstone for the month of March, it is also valued as a stone of eternal youth and happiness. This gemstone is mined mainly in Brazil, but can also be found in Angola, India, Pakistan, Kenya, central Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Mozambique, Pakistan, the Ural Mountains in Russia, Tanzania, Colorado/USA, and Zambia.
