Ammonite: what does it look like and what properties does it have?

Ammonite is an interesting stone that can interest everyone who loves to observe the creations of nature and study them, collect. The mineral itself once served as a shell-house for giant mollusks. They existed on Earth even in the era of dinosaurs, moreover, they appeared before these living beings. The mineral became a fossil about 200 million years ago.

Interest in ammonite is noted both by lovers of rare stones and by scientists. This is a truly interesting natural creation that looks like a work of art. It is unrealistic to find two identical shells: the analogy with snowflakes and human fingerprints is not accidental. If you have ammonite in your collection, you can be sure that no one else has exactly the same.

All the specimens of the fossil have in common only a bizarre spiral shape resembling a clock spring, a ram's horn or even a paper clip. Each shell inside consists of sections (chambers), and those, in turn, are separated by partitions. The smallest one is located at the base, the closer the exit, the larger the size of the partitions.

The ammonite is 200 million years old. For such a venerable period, the mineral has changed, which has led to a considerable number of types of stone. On average, ammonite is a smooth, pleasant to the touch surface, covered with mother-of-pearl. This mother-of-pearl has grooves of different shades, which are not repeated. Ammonite can be found in any size, from very small to huge.

The color depends on the color of the mineral trapped in the stone chamber. Usually, the leaders are blue, green, orange and yellow shades, which have calcite and chalcedony inside. If pyrite is "wedged" into the chambers, the surface of the ammonite will sparkle like gold. It is considered good luck to find a rare combination of minerals: there are samples that belong to the calcite group. If ammonite is filled with symbircite, then it can be confused with amber and carnelian. It's all about the same pyrite, which gives the mineral a yellow-red color.

Often confusion arises between ammonite and ammolite, the latter being a type of ammonite. To obtain it, you need special conditions and a lot of time. So, it is correct to call a stone formed as a result of mineralization of ammonite shells in rocks as ammolite. But what unites absolutely all varieties of ammonite is pearl spraying. It will be present in both the inner and outer parts of the stone.

At the end of the 18th century, the French explorer J. Brugier gave the stone the name by which it is known today. But the origin of the stone, its magical properties, wonderful stories associated with it - this is a whole layer of information, speculation, scientific and historical assumptions that make exploring the stone even more fun.

• In ancient Egypt, the god Amon was revered, who was considered the patron saint of the universe. He looked like a ram with its characteristic twisted horns. And these horns, which were spiral-shaped curls, were considered something divine. The Romans took up this legend in the sense that the stone, known to us today as ammonite, was called the horn of Amun.
• In Ireland, to this day, this stone is sometimes called a petrified snake. And all because of an old legend, which speaks of the abbess of the monastery, who managed to save the village from the attack of snakes. She turned reptiles into stones, which earned her canonization. Many residents take the legend seriously, because even stone cutters sometimes show fossils with snake heads.
• In Germany, the one who found the ammonite, considered it a golden snail. And it was also a very good omen, as if together with the stone you were gaining happiness, good luck, a new life.

Paleontologists can stay at ammonite deposits for a long time. They consider this stone to be an amazing subject of study. Today the number of types of stone is about 3000.

Why is ammonite not a choice for the mass consumer? Yes, it does not look like a sapphire or a diamond, but it is not a luxury collection stone. If you like this amazing artifact, then you are probably interested in delving into history, and you are delighted with the fact that you have something from prehistoric times in your hands. Just think: ammonite found both dinosaurs and tree-like plants. And the shell itself seems to be an elegant work of art, it is hard to believe that this is a natural cut, that the shell was not made by a man.

Organic stones are well suited for making pendants, brooches, beads, earrings, rings. The shells themselves are colorful and picturesque. Usually, gifts with such a stone are appreciated by artists, creative people.

If the specimen is large, then it is usually sawn, then polished, cleaned of impurities and clay. This is done so that the pearlescent essence of the ammonite appears to the world. Such beautiful pieces of sawn stone are used to decorate not only jewelry, but also coffee tables, fireplaces, clocks, and aquariums. If you are a novice collector, collecting minerals from all over the earth, an attractive ammonite must appear in your collection.

The spiral, the shell of the stone, is a symbol of eternity, common in many cultures.The Indians used these shells for special magical rituals. For example, if a downpour became a vital necessity, then they could cause it just with the help of ammonite, which they, however, called "the bison stone." With the help of a shell, they found the source of the river. Be sure to take a stone with you and hunting - it was believed that it brings good luck and protects against risks. Even today, some hunters are presented with ammonites. Here are some other magical properties attributed to the stone in antiquity.

• Longevity... It was believed that the one who honors this stone and wears it will live a long time.
• Clairvoyance... It was also believed that the stone can develop the rudiments of clairvoyance in a person.
• Connection with the subtle world. It was as if the stone allowed people to carry out seances.

If you make an amulet from a mineral, it can become a very powerful talisman. The symbolic meaning of ammonite is good luck, attracting wealth, peace of mind in the family. They also say that ammonites are healing stones. But whether it can be curative depends on the mineral found in ammonite. Since the chemical composition of the fossil is strictly natural, such prey can really affect the human condition.

Lithotherapists assure: the fossil can help in the treatment of blood diseases, it can cure skin ailments, increase immunity, and give new protection against stress. They say that keeping ammonite in the bedroom can help fight insomnia.... And the stone can also help with reproductive problems. Shamans and sorcerers believed that the fossil creates special vibrations - they seem to reboot the body, make it work in a new way.

Chinese doctors have a special attitude to ammonites, more precisely, those specialists whom we could call representatives of alternative medicine. They believe that the stone will help to adjust the internal "upset" energy of a person. It is known that many in China resort to treatment with applicators and massage, and biological minerals are used very widely in this sense.

Chinese doctors believe that massage with ammonite applications can adjust the internal systems to the correct mode of operation and can normalize blood flow. It is interesting that all massage movements performed by a specialist repeat the curls of this biological formation on the human body. What is it for? To create a vortex of internal body currents. The energy, swirled and renewed by movement, returns to its original positions, resulting in balance.

If we draw a parallel with the opinion of many healers that any internal (mental) imperfection leads to disease, then massage can also be a way to restore this constancy, calmness, and even energy. As a result, the disease goes away. Evidence-based medicine representatives often advise their patients with psoriasis and skin diseases to wear jewelry with ammonite. It is believed that the stone helps to overcome scarlet fever and measles.

There are no strict prohibitions on wearing ammonite: it is not capable of harming anyone. But still, for Libra, Aquarius, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, the fossil is more suitable. Capricorn should wear this shell if it is filled with chalcedony. All significant characteristics remain only with real ammonite. But you should not worry about whether you have a fake. Artificial stones, oddly enough, will cost more - it will take a lot of effort to repeat what nature intended.

The fossils themselves are inexpensive, so it doesn't even make sense to pass off a synthetic product as natural. Other outlandish shells are found by seekers all over the earth. An amazing mineral formation called ammonite is found only in one point of the planet in the province of Alberta, which is located in Canada.

It is believed that blue (and other types of stone too) ammonite is perfect for people whose work is related to water. These can be plumbers, swimmers, divers, aquarists, ameliorators, divers. If you are going to take a water trip, ammonite can be a surefire amulet.

There are cases when psychotherapists who worked with patients afraid of water used ammonite in therapy. At first, the stone was used indirectly - it could just lie on the table, etc. Then it served as a guide, which supposedly guaranteed a person that protects him from the disasters associated with water.

If you are comfortable with luxury jewelry, but all the interesting, prehistoric fossils, minerals make you thrill, you will like ammonite.

An overview of ammonites in jewelry is in the next video.