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Popular gemstones and cabochons:
Amazonite
Parrot Wing quick guide: 1" = 25mm 1/2"=13mm 1/4"=6.5mm
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Pyritized Ammonites If you love druzy and you love fossils, these are simply breathtaking. These 130-140 million-year-old creatures lived at the end of the Mezozoic Period, about 150 km outside of Moscow. Ammonites are found all over the world, but these special ammonites are found only in Russia. Instead of being filled with stone as most ammonites are, the shells are hollow and lined with pyrite druzy, some of it in natural rainbow colors. The backs of the pieces are the actual shells, some of them iridescent, others still coated with ancient mother of pearl. These are relatively delicate, so if you are planning to set these, we ask that you take a look at the care and usage note below. Note: The backs on all of these are natural, so they are all curved. To see a photo of typical backs, go to the care and usage note. Ammonite Cabochons These are slices off the sides of the shells. All are filled with naturally-occurring silver pyrite druzy. The backs are fossilized shell, slightly curved. Due to our extremely limited supply, Limit two per customer, please.
FS215 $19.99
FS222 $28.50
FS226 $36.00
FS227 $36.00 Sorry, Sold!
FS231 $40.00
FS233 $42.00
FS235 $47.50
FS236 $48.50
Sliced Ammonites Each of these is a full ammonite fossil, sliced in half. The backs are the actual fossilized shell. These are more like shell than stone in terms of strength, so extra care has to be taken in setting them (see below). Ordering options. PLEASE READ BEFORE ORDERING: Price increases and limited availability of these stones dictate that they be sold individually. If you want the pair, simply order both the right and left halves. Due to our extremely limited supply, we ask that each individual customer order no more than two halves each (either one full pair, or one half of two different pairs).
Working with Pyritized Ammonites
These pyritized ammonites are just stunning in person. But it requires some finesse to set them so that they will be permanently protected. PMC artist and educator Bridgette L. Rallo of The Greenwoods Studio has created the lovely ammonite necklace above. She made and pre-fired a setting for the ammonite that protects it but allows a peek of the shell back. Click on photos to see details. Whether you are a metalsmith
or PMC specialist, the most important thing would be to make a seat for the
stone so that it is not torqued or placed under differential pressures. It also
would be good to protect the edges against getting chipped. These Pyritized Ammonites are the only stones on our website that we can't guarantee against breakage once they have safely arrived on your doorstep. Just how delicate are these? Well, if you drop one on a tile floor or into a sink, it will probably break. But that's possible with many stones. These ammonites are stronger than they look, but my guess is that if you applied enough pressure, you could crack one of them apart in your hands. So, these stones are not suitable for wire-wrapping or being drilled. But for the seasoned metalsmith, these beauties are well worth the challenge. We welcome input from our other artists on additional ways to set these astounding stones. Previous page: Fossil Gems Next page: Greens General information and directory: Designer Gems To check what you've put in your shopping cart, click:
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Heart of Stone Studio Gemstones
Cabochons
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