Your Guide to Choosing Ammonite Fossils

An iridescent ammonite fossil represents the high end of an ammonite prepared for use as jewelry, a desk ornament, or classroom aid. If you want an agatized ammonite, then you can find delicately crafted specimens already placed in settings or awaiting your personal choice of the perfect setting on eBay. If you want a rough example of an inexpensive ammonite fossil, as if taken directly from a digging, eBay also has these and every condition in between.

Ammonite fossils embedded in sedimentary rock offer the opportunity for you to get hands-on experience with chisel and brush to liberate the fossil from its matrix, or the fossil may already be freed, sawn in half, and polished to a high degree. The specimens sawn in half reveal the intricate spiral of the original creature, which makes a lovely piece of jewelry or conversation piece. If you select a matrix slab with visible ammonite fossils, then you may be rewarded by discovering hidden examples just out of sight.

The largest size reached six and a half feet in diameter, which would grace any museum showcase. Specimens in 1- to 2-inch widths are most common for display or jewelry. A valuable ammonite fossil on eBay might be categorized as iridescent or agatized, which quality the specimen attained through the ages during fossilization. Typically, the iridescent ammonites are prized for their mineralization and seem to bridge the categories of fossil and gemstone.

Students around the world hold a piece of earth's natural history when a specimen is passed around in class. Professors stir the curiosity of future archaeologists to discover the perfect size and condition of an ammonite and display it. Jewelers also delight in the solid feel of the fossil and plan how to show its iridescence properly.

The fine crystals of a drusy rock formation transmute an ammonite from a plain specimen inside a plain matrix into a specimen on a glittering jeweled backdrop. Drusy crystals typically are small and set off the specimen, which displays to fine advantage in its natural state for use as a desk ornament. Many ornaments come electro-plated to enhance the shiny effect.

Ammonites range from the traditional concepts of a nautilus-like coiled spiral to long teardrop shapes, which are perfect for crafting pendants or earrings. In addition to different shapes, the fossils display smooth to spiny outer shells that provide fascinating textures.