AMMOLITE

I recently was given a wonderful gift of some spectacular Ammolite rough.  Here are a few pieces that I have started to process.  Each is about the size of a quarter.

Ammolite is a very rare opal-like gemstone found primarily in Alberta, Canada.  It may well be the rarest gemstone on earth, as rare as genuine red diamonds.

Ammolite is the fossilized shells of Ammonites, which are composed of aragonite, the same material as pearls.

Ammonites were spiral disc shaped cephalopods that once lived in tropical inland seas, becoming extinct along with the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago at the end of the Mesozoic era.

The iridescent opal-like color play of Ammolite is caused by the interference with the light which rebounds from the very thin stacked layers of aragonite platelets.  Reds and green are most common, but all colors of the spectrum are possible.  Thicker layers of platelets produce the reds and greens, thinner layers of platelets the blues and violet at the other end of the visible spectrum.

The Ammolite layer is a very thin sheet, often not more than 0.5mm thick and is usually backed with its dark gray to brown shale matrix.

Because Ammolite is relatively soft for a gemstone (4.5-5.5 on the Mohs scale) and the very thin mica-like platelet layers are subject to flaking, it is common for Ammolite to be treated with epoxy or polyester resin to harden and stabilize the material prior to cutting and polishing and to be made into doublets and triplets with a clear quartz cap to protect the delicate Ammolite from damage.

Look for reverse doublets and triplets of this spectacular gemstone in my on-line store soon.

Lightning Ridge black opals

The second week of classes I took at William Holland School was OPALS taught by Joe DePietro.  The class was first rate as Joe is a veteran opal cutter and long time dealer with a wealth of knowledge and experience.  I had purchased a small parcel of Lightning Ridge black opal rough at the Denver show this year, in anticipation of taking this week of instruction.  Apparently I had some beginners luck in choosing a good lot, since I was able to find some good color and I cut a few nice stones.  Joe was kind enough to evaluate them using a software program called 'Smart Chart' available through opalmine.com.  It is a 14 step process of evaluating type, brightness, body tone, shape, color, coverage, weight and many other factors to arrive at a 'field wholesale' price from a database periodically updated through the website based on market activity and market conditions.  I was stunned at the prices, nearly as much as I was amazed and captivated by how spectacular Lightening Ridge black opal can be.  Last year at the Tucson shows I talked a good deal to various opal dealers and cutters who all told me - once you start cutting opals, it will capture you and regular cabochons will never be the same anymore.......... I see their point........

1.25 ct. N3 green-blue, slightly-bright oval

4.45 ct. N4 green, blue,orange bright freeform

I also cut a couple of nice blue stones that were evaluated using Paul Downings method and brightness scale with comparables drawn from his newsletter market updates

9.65 ct.

8.00 ct.

I have several other nice stones in progress and have converted several chucks of rough to 'rubs' in search of color.  I have several more some nice pieces of the deep cobalt blue with N1 body color and some lavender color crystal with a moss pattern.

Stay tuned for more pictures and updates on opals.

By the way.  If you are interested in purchasing any of these stones, they are available.  Money back guarantee if not satisfied.  E-mail me at cabochondesignz@gmail.com