Unlike most gems, whose colors come from light absorption, ammolite's iridescent color is caused by interference with the light that gets trapped within stacked layers of thin platelets that make up the fossilized shell. Its iridescence occurs when the fossilized ammonite shell becomes mineralized. Ammolite's iridescent play of color is what makes it so distinctive and attractive. Found in Canada, the iridescent shell of fossilized ammonites is available as ammonite fossils or in iridescent gems cut from the fossils under the trade name ammolite. “This mine will help put Lethbridge on the world map.Ammolite is a gem that comes from the fossilized shell of an extinct, squid-like creature called an ammonite. Trudel says it’s a big difference from when he arrived and there were only 3 people. They’re hoping to also mine another 4 acres in addition to the 4 acres that are being mined now. Trudel says business is expanding, and in late May they’re planning on hiring miners and other staff from Lethbridge. Indeed, anyone would be hard pressed to find the difference between one former site a few miles from the current mine, and the untouched areas around it. Korite is very serious about doing very good reclamation work.” You can’t tell that we mined there before. We put everything back in the same order, and we re-seed with the native grass. When we’re done, we level up the black shale. “We call it ‘A, B, C.’ A is the good topsoil, B is the subsoil all the way to the gravel. Trudel emphasizes that it’s extremely important that they leave the land as close to the way they found it, as possible. A few months earlier we also found a partial T-Rex.”īy 1999, the first ammolite mine closed, and the land restored to its original state.

He had no business being in the water, so probably as he was grazing, he fell off a cliff and got carried away. It was so well preserved, that they found a full, intact turtle in its stomach…since then we’ve found 6 more Mosasaurs, we found a Plesiosaur, and not long ago juvenile Hadrosaur. One about 10 metres long with big carnivore teeth. Trudel says they regularly call the Royal Tyrrell Museum to send a team of archeologists when they find dinosaur remains. It’s not just the ammonites that are found at this mine. The stone is in big demand in Asia, with Feng Shui Masters in Hong Kong calling it the “most influential gemstone of the millennium,” and the “Canada 150” keepsakes also feature ammolite as the official gem. It’s also now featured on the Home Shopping Channels in England, Italy, Germany, Australia, Canada and the US. Jewelry, keepsakes and other pieces are now sold on cruise ships internationally….and in Jasper, Banff, Niagara Falls, Vancouver and many other tourist destinations. Trudel says through the years, Korite International attended numerous trade shows, and eventually “Gem and Gemology” completed a large study, featuring ammolite on its cover magazine – seen by millions. The broken pieces become part of our jewelry line.”Īmmolite is a relatively new gem, gaining official status by the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) in 1981.Īs far back as the late 1400’s though, the Blackfoot tribe found pieces in select areas of southwestern Alberta, and called it “Iniskim,” believing it had magical powers. “We try to find as many complete shells as possible, for museums and private collectors. He explains how everything is done by hand how the miners painstakingly search for parts of the ammonite shells in the layers. Korite employs about 280 people worldwide. Rene Trudel is the Field Operations Manager and has been working with Korite International – the company that now owns this mine, and 90% of the world’s deposit of ammolite – since 1983. This is one of the few places this creature lived, and the only area in the world where their shells have been pressed between layers of shale and transformed into a beautiful, rainbow coloured stone called ammolite, that will eventually become jewelry. Where the mine now sits, was once a mile and a half under water. They find piece after piece of ammonite- an ancient, shelled sea creature that lived about 70 million years ago in this area, also known as the Bear Paw Sea. The men in hard hats and fluorescent vests with small iron rakes walk over to the pile and start sorting through it, hoping to see a sparkle of something.

Korite ammonite