Vivid-colored ammonite fossils that are mined in Alberta, Canada, are known as gemstones called “Ammolite.” The specific colors having narrow reflectance spectra are ascribed to an interference ...

For over 300 million years, the ammonites ruled the prehistoric seas. Finding an ammonite fossil isn’t particularly rare (they can be unearthed all over the world) but they’re still thrilling to ...

The jewels nabbed in the Louvre heist may still be at large, but scientists have just closed the case on another gemstone mystery: what gives rare ammolite gems their rainbow shimmer. Ammolite comes ...

Some fossils of long-extinct sea creatures display brilliant rainbow colors. Known as ammolite, these gems come from the fossilized shells of ammonites, squid-like marine animals that vanished with ...